Redemption War
by Benjamin Booker
Summary: With the Courier dead Caesar's Legion has taken control of the Mojave Desert, The NCR begins to wage a new bloody war to reclaim the desert. Ranger Jason Dawes takes point in this new war.
1. Chapter 1

I knocked the dust from my helmet as I brought my vision back to my rifle scope. The crosshairs searched for another target and found a legionnaire at the bottom of the hill. I stroked the trigger and a geyser of arterial blood shot from the legionnaire back unto his comrades, they didn't even stop to mourn their loss. The soldiers beside me kept on firing on the teeming mass below us and I thought back to two weeks ago when this began. It all began when the "all powerful" courier and his pet 1st recon man, Craig Boone, assassinated Caesar. After the assassination Legate Lanius, the monster of the east, took charge and the whole legion retreated, or so we thought. He gathered the legion's full force and descended upon the damn. It was a slaughter, worse than Bitter Springs from all reports. The NCR tried to mass a counter attack but failed. Too many good soldiers had died in the past days. We ended up being pushed back to the Mojave outpost, where I was now. As I was sitting on top of one of the out buildings another legionnaire ran past my scope, I followed his path and grimaced as I sent him to join the rest of his comrades whom we had already killed.

We had killed an estimated one hundred and fifty legion that day and the bastards weren't done yet. The dust and the setting sun obscured my vision. As the evening wind blew the dust I saw a form darting from car to car and my crosshairs settled on his chest, I silently prayed for god's forgiveness, and I caressed the trigger. The hollow click from my rifle made my breath catch and I had to settle myself again. I tore my eyes away from the scope and I searched for another clip. I grabbed the last reaming clip on my belt moved it towards my rifle and dropped it. I had to stop and stare at the bullets as they spilled out. NCR Rangers are the best the whole of the Republic and those that had earned their black armor and trench coat surpassed all other rangers. We don't simply drop things my sleep addled brain and weary body had finally had enough. I glanced down the ramp to the ground and motioned one of the soldiers to take my place on the top of the building. I'm sure I muttered something to the man that took my place but I had no way of recalling. The barracks of the outpost were filled with the wounded and slowly dying. I slowly wandered into the command building trudged by the officers into a bathroom. I took off my helmet and stared at myself in the mirror. I saw a ghost of my former self. I usually look like any other person. I am somewhat handsome with blond hair and light blue eyes I earned a scar that runs down my cheek from shrapnel in some previous and forgotten battle. I stood and looked into my eyes for a moment, it took me too long to recall that I had come here to wash myself as best I could. I ran my hands under the water and realized I still had my dirt and blood cached gloves on. I stripped them off then proceeded to wash my face. In reality it would take a full scrubbing and a day of rest to feel clean again but this would have to do. I walked out of the command building and tried to find a place to sleep. The gunfire rarely kept me from sleep anymore so I would just have to find somewhere relatively safe. I ended up shrugging out of my dual shoulder holsters and dropping my rifle behind a large boulder. I leaned up against the large and uncomfortable rock and tried to shut my eyes. I slept for twelve hours.


	2. Chapter 2

I'd like to say the sleep was dreamless but that would be a lie. I dreamed of all the people that I had ended. I can't see most of the faces because they mostly been four hundred or more meters away. I see what happened to the bodies after my rifle round hits. Anti-material rifles and even sniper rifles, are immensely powerful weapons and they wreak havoc on a human body. I see the spin as a enemy is impacted in the shoulder or the mist as the bullet exits a body. Or I see both of these and sometimes I see even more. Tonight I saw almost all of my deeds. I woke at about thirteen hundred after being asked if I was dead.

"Shit Lieutenant Dawes are you Dead sir?" I had force my fingers to let go of the pistols they had grabbed when startled by the soldier.

"No, but the day is young" I squinted past the sun to try to make out the man's face " Who's that there Rourke,Penn?"

"No Sir, I'm Speight, Colonel Hsu sent me to find any commissioned officers and tell them to report to a general staff briefing" I snorted my appreciation and picked myself out from behind the boulder. I grabbed my weapons and walked over to the command building. As soon as I came to the door my stomach growled a complaint caused by constant fighting and no nutrition for thirty hours straight.

I stepped through the doors and was bombarded with a flurry of noise and activity. The dregs of an army were trying to perform triage on itself and I had stepped into the operating room. I looked at the collars of the soldiers and tried to find an officer. I spotted one I recognized and called out

"Major Knight, Sir, Sir!" I shouted and pushed my way through the throng of NCR around me and finally got within reach and grabbed his shoulder, when he turned I saw the craters that his eyes were living in.

"What, what?" He recognized me and sighed "What do you want Dawes, I'm swamped"

"Sir, all I need to know is where is this staff meeting" He pointed me toward the back of the building then left to deal with any number of fires. I proceeded to the back rooms until I heard muffled and serious voices. I opened the door and fifteen strained faces turned to inspect me, Colonel Hsu looked me up and down and proclaimed

"Dawes, Glad you showed up, we were beginning to fear that you didn't make it, take a seat" I dropped my helmet on the table looked around the room and found a stool and pulled it toward the table. I looked at the other men around the table. There was Colonel Hsu, Chief Hanlon, Major Polatli, Dennis Crocker for some reason, Captain Gilles, Lieutenant Gorobets, and various other officers that I didn't recognize. Colonel Hsu looked around at all the occupants and resumed his briefing.

"As I was saying gentlemen the front has deteriorated rapidly and we haven't been able to form a reliable defense until we were pushed back here to the Mojave Outpost. The legion tried an assault last night and we managed to hold them and they've fallen back at out of sight of the outpost. We have taken heavy casualties. We lost the Damn. We lost Forlorn Hope. Then they hit Camp McCarran . We were spread too thin all throughout the Mojave and they hit in force and bled us dry. So far about one third to one half of our forces from the Mojave has managed to make it here. The rest are presumed either Dead, Captured, or MIA and we all know what the legion does to its prisoners." We all either grimaced, nodded or kept silent. I looked at the map spread out on the table, red pins covered the map to mark where we had lost and the one lone blue pin marked where we currently sat: Mojave. Major Polatli surveyed the map and looked at Colonel Hsu and asked "what the hell do we do now sir?"

"We are trying to reach anyone in Command like Kimbal or a General because we lost Oliver during the attack on the damn. But right now we need to asses the situation in the Mojave so we can best deal with... this clusterfuck. Sorry" He looked down and for a second was lost in his own thoughts

he snapped his vision back up in met my eyes

"Dawes, round up a few soldiers and take them down to the bottom of the hill if there's nothing there scout the area around for a mile, Gorobets get one first recon man up on one of those damned statues and cover Dawes as he goes down the hill." He continued firing off orders as both Gorobets and I stood up and saluted the Colonel. I stepped out and Gorobets followed me.

"Gorobets it's been a while I'd ask how are you but we're all like shit so how many have you lost?"

"Thanks Dawes we didn't lose all too many, Corporal Sterling didn't make it, but all those people at McCarran" he closed his eyes and balled his fists 'We lost too many Dawes"

"Agreed" I reached out and gripped his shoulder "Let's get down that hill" We stepped out the doors of the command building and the sunlight speared my eyes. I put on my helmet and looked at the outpost around me. This might have been the most soldiers that this place ever held. We had dug ourselves in at the top of the hill around the statues they were pitted with bullet holes. Soldiers lingered around the buildings they looked confused neither being attacked nor being on the run. They were still trying to comprehend the astounding losses the NCR had suffered over the past two weeks. I searched among the ones still awake and looked for the most alert. I found two privates and a staff sergeant. They were Privates Hammilton and Speight the staff sergeant Sewell. I took them in front of the statues and explained the task we had in front of us.

"Sir?" Hammilton asked with a quiver in his voice " Do you think there will be a legion ambush down there" I could tell he was lacking sleep and any proper nutrition.

"Private Hammilton" I questioned him "have you ever heard of the first recon?"

"Yes sir, I, um wasn't Craig Boon in that unit?"

" The first recon" I emphasized "Is the best sniper unit in the whole of the New California Republic , their motto is The last thing you never see, we are going to have one of their snipers covering us as we go down this hill maybe there's an ambush but I think we will be okay"

"Okay thank you sir" he said. I could tell my words had some effect but they weren't the morale raising speech that Kimbal or Oliver could preach.

"Sounds Good, you men go up to statues and wait for me I'll be there in one minute" I started a quick jog to find Gorobets. I found him outside the barracks turned infirmary. He had just stepped out and was in the middle of a smoke.

"Gorobets, quick question who do you have on overwatch for me?" between his smoke he managed to squeeze out

"Guy named Bitter Root he's a sergeant, why do you ask?" He frowned at me over his smoke

"Hmm" I muttered " That sounds like a Khan name, am I right?" As I spoke his frown deepened

"Yeah, is that an issue?" I could hear the disapproval in his voice, he knew I was involved in bitter springs

"Look, lets not dick around here, We both know I was at bitter springs and I'll be straight with you I'm a little uncomfortable with a khan behind me"

"He's first recon if he wasn't good he wouldn't be here now go get down that hill" He retorted. I respected Gorobets so instead of arguing with him I just nodded and went to the men.

I walked up to the men who were resting, they saw me coming and stood up, "We ready sir?" Sewell asked. In response I just shook my head affirmative and tapped on my the side of my helmet for luck. We passed the fox holes and quickly erected barriers and nodded at the soldiers that had been guarding this tiny 'front' while I had been comatose. I stepped over the imaginary line that marked the extent of NCR territory and into land controlled by the legion. It brought a macabre black grin to my face which was fortunately covered by my helmet. I looked up at the sun which was close to cooking me alive as I was wrapped up in the black riot armor and duster. I shivered as I thought of the Khan sniper in the statue behind me. I looked down the hill and I could see my own as well as the rest of the NCR's handiwork strewn about the cars and trucks. At least one hundred dead legionaries lay fallen on the hill with about half that number of crows enjoying the benefits. I wondered which ones I had killed and quietly prayed for god's forgiveness as I moved on. I had my rifle slung over my shoulder and slowly took both of my pistols out. I crouched behind the rusted hulk of a car while I waited for my squad to reach me.

"Okay here's the plan. I'm going to walk down between the middle of these two tractor trailers, I want both Speight and Hammilton on the other sides so they can flank if anything comes out of those trailers." Both of the privates nodded and spread to the ends of the burnt car, before he left though Speight looked at me.

"Sir?" He asked I could hear the quiver in his voice again. I could tell he was afraid and hell so was I but through my all my training I had learned to put it behind me. Even though I could still remember the days when even the lightest sound while on patrol had me ready to shoot.

"What is it Speight?"

"What did you mean when you said the day is young?"

"Don't worry about it, just focus on the task at hand and you'll make it through" He looked down at the ground and swallowed

"Yes sir." I looked at Speight one more time and then caught the eye of Hammilton

"You ready?" He nodded affirmative "All right Sewell, You're gonna stack behind me "Alright men, break"

I stepped into the middle of the two trailers and immediately felt like I was trapped. Since I was in about a six foot wide space and had my rifle on my back so I took out both of my pistols. I reached them out and tapped them against the hulls of the trailers. Hopefully any legionnaires hiding inside would come to the front then Speight and Hammilton would kill them. I thought I heard movement but with the helmet distorting my senses and the wind that was blowing it could have been my imagination. I walked down the opening at the end of the trailers crouched and paused. I listened for a moment and then jumped out pointing my pistols into the two trailers and my back to the rest of the hill. My eyes immediately sought out the motion inside the left trailer and my finger reacted without a moment of hesitation and pulled the trigger. In the second after the gunshot I saw that it wasn't a legion scout but a mole rat that took my bullet. As the creature hit the floor Hammilton rushed round the corner of the trailer and my pistols automatically sought out his face in reaction to the movment.

"Shit!" He started to backpedal and tripped over a fallen legionnaire. I had already lowered my gun and walked over to help him out. Sewell and Speight came up behind me and I would probably have had the same reaction but I was in the middle of helping Hammilton off the dead legionnaire. I reacted the way I did because being a ranger I was use to undertaking missions on my own or with a spotter so once in a combat frame of mind I was ready to react to every new event with lethal force. I grasped Hammilton by the arm and I could see his eyes wide with the surprise of both having a gun in his face and getting tangled with a enemy's body.

"Come on" I grunted as I levered him up "You're fine let's get back to it."

The squad made it to the bottom of the hill with thankfully little happening there were a few burnt out cars scattered by the side of the road. I thought I saw motion behind one of the cars and went for my pistols again.

"Sewell, you see anything over there?" I pointed to the cars and he squinted at the husks and I stepped forward to take cover behind and was about to unsling my rifle when there was a pressure around my ankle. I looked down and there was a hand around my boot I let out a shout as I was pulled to the ground. Once on the back I saw what was under the car. It was a legionnaire his hungry smile reminded me all too much of the fear that I had to put behind me. I kicked that smile with the boot that he didn't have his hand latched onto. Thankfully that checked the knife that he was trying to stab me in the leg with. While he was reeling from the boot I pulled my pistol and erased that smile of his face at point blank range while screaming "AMBUSH!" at the top of my lungs

From behind the car that I had asked Sewell about four legionnaires emerged all carrying some type of cowboy repeater. Both Hammilton and Sewell Opened fire the two that came out from one end of the car. The sound of the gunfire marked the two red cloaked bodies hitting the ground. I had managed to hoist myself off the ground and a thunderclap sounded as the two legionnaires opened fire. The legionnaire's head disintegrated from what I could only assume was Sergeant Bitter Root. But his shot was too late the and the legionnaires had gotten of at least a few rounds. One bullet impacted me in the chest but my riot armor was sturdy and it managed to keep me alive but it felt like a brahmin had kicked me in the chest. The man next to me was not so lucky but I had no time to look and I willed my pistol to find the enemy in it's sights and I squeezed the trigger and the legionnaire's shoulder crumpled. I followed that up with two more rounds placed in his chest. He fell back into the dust blood seeping out from his wounds. He wasn't going anywhere too soon, I walked over to him said a prayer and shot him in between his eyes. I looked around myself and remembered that someone had taken a bullet.

"Report! Is everyone okay?"

"Both Hammilton and I are fine Lieutenant, shit where's Speight?" Sewell called out. I looked around myself and found Speight on the ground bleeding.

"Goddamnit! Hammilton go back up the hill and get a medic Sewell do you have anything on you bandages, a stimpack or medex?"

I ran my hand over Speight looking for where he was shot. I could tell he was shot somewhere in his upper chest but there was a lot of blood. I was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder and looked up

"Sir here you go" Sewell said he handed me a stimpack. I continued to try and save Speight and after more examination I could tell the bullet had hit him in the neck and I searched for his carotid and I saw that the bullet had nicked it. He was losing too much blood.

"Shit, where's that damn medic?" I found his carotid and injected the stimpack.

"Sir?" Speight whimpered

"I'm trying, Speight, hold on"

"I'm getting really cold sir"

"Damnit Speight don't talk like that." His eyes began to flutter "Shit!" I looked up the hill and I could see Hammilton and a medic rushing from the top of the hill. "Come on he's dying here"

"Sir" Speight coughed blood hit my helmet's eye plates. I tore the helmet off and threw it to the ground. Sewell grabbed my by the arm and tried to pull me away

"It's too late Sir" I shrugged him off and turned back to Speight the blood was seeping out of him slower and slower. He wasn't moving anymore. I turned and kicked the closest car

"Fuck!" I kicked my helmet across the road and slammed my fists on the hulk of the closest car. Hammilton and the medic arrived. We stared at each other but there was nothing left to say.


	3. Chapter 3

A few hours later I found myself in the bar of the barracks turned infirmary.

"Did you know that?'" The woman in front of me asked. I shook my head and looked at the drink in front of me it was a shot. I downed it and looked at the woman. I had done a passable job at erasing the events from the day but glancing around and seeing all the NCR armor around me brought it back all too quickly.

"Sorry, what?" I looked at the woman manning the bar and had no idea what she said

"I said" she intoned "A woman used to sit there and stare at her glass just like you're doing"

"Oh" I didn't know what to say I was lost for a moment "What was her name?"

"I don't know... It was Rose or something like that" she reached out and touched my arm "So how long have you been a Ranger?" I stared at her for a moment I couldn't comprehend what was going on. Was she trying to flirt with me? I felt like if I even indulged in conversation with woman I would be profaning all that had happened in the last two weeks.

"Uh, a while, look I..." I stuttered "I need to go report in" I walked out the building,feeling her eyes on my back, I sighed and shook my head. I proceeded to the Command building and stepped in. It was no longer the cluster of officials that it was a few hours before. Most of the people that had been running around here earlier had finally hit their respective brick wall and crashed. I walked into the one of the back rooms and found that the briefing room had transformed into a personal office for Colonel Hsu.

"Sir, I'm here to report in" He looked at me through bloodshot eyes

"Aren't you a little late Lieutenant? I sent you on your mission at" he paused to look at a clipboard on his desk " at thirteen fifteen and it's now twenty-one hundred" he raised an eyebrow at me in questioning.

"Sorry Sir, I" he cut me off

"Staff Sergeant Sewell came in and reported, you lost one man, Speight correct?"

"Yes sir" I kept my eyes on the floor

"I should not have Staff Sergeants reporting for Lieutenants am I clear?"

"Yes sir" He sighed and lit up a cigarette something I hadn't seen him do in years

"Look we are all getting unhinged, but that's a luxury an officer can't afford"

"Yes sir"

"I'm not going to punish you because we can't afford that for either hit morale would take or personnel resources, but what you can do is man the barricades until o'six hundred we have a lot of people dragging out there and a virtual tent city has been set up along I-15 and we need people to guard the front."

"Yes, Sir"

"Good, We've gotten in contact with Shady Sands and they're sending troops and the word is that a General is coming I've heard that it'll be stone or saltonstall whichever they are anticipated to arrive a twelve hundred tomorrow, be prepared to meet with them with the rest of the officers." I saluted then went to complete my penance.

As I sat at the border of my homeland I mostly kept quiet. I held up the stern ranger veneer that came with the armor but my mind was a thousand miles away. It was with Speight, it was with the Woman in the bar, it was with the people of New Vegas who, I could only assume, were suffering right now, it was with the dead and lost of the Republic. Thankfully the legion had felt satisfied with the pound of flesh they had taken from us because they didn't attack that night, I don't know if I would have been prepared.


	4. Chapter 4

I left the barricade with the rest of the men who finished their shift at six hundred; most of them went toward the bar or to find any food. I was too depleted by the events of the day I could only will myself to curl up behind the boulder I found, after setting an alarm on my watch for o nine hundred. I dreamed again it wasn't like the last one, I didn't see people I killed but I saw the people I didn't save. Speight was among them but his death barely held a candle to Bitter Springs. This dream didn't confine itself to my time with the NCR it reached back to the times of my earlier life. I saw the barn fire of my youth and various events that followed me. I woke to a slow beeping on my wrist and clicked it off. I only opened my eyes and looked around the courtyard, while on missions if you move too quickly you're dead. I slowly stood up and looked around myself. There were sleeping soldiers strewn about the courtyard. We had all been running too high strung for far too long and they had to stop or push themselves to uselessness. I walked to the front of the building opened the doors. It looked as if the tirage operation had succeeded but had left a husk of the patient. Welcome to the New California Republic. I went to the back of the building and knocked on the door of the makeshift office.

"Come in" I heard Hsu's voice through the door. I opened the door and stepped in, it looked as if Hsu had finally gotten some sleep.

"Sir" I asked "How can I serve my republic today?" He snorted and looked at me

"Well we aren't being attacked and most of the wounded have either recovered or died. I don't have any task there is nothing to do... actually. What did you see when came into this building.

"I saw a lot of soldiers sleeping they're all wasted and they need rest"

"Allright, I want you to wake them up then head over to all the tents and get those soldiers on their feet then report back here"

"Yes sir" I saluted and headed out to rouse the troops.

It was harder than I expected to get them up and once they were awake the thing that was on most of their minds was food. After talking with them I realized that my stomach was painfully empty. I stood atop one of the picnic tables and addressed the stirring crowd.

"Look, everybody I'm going to try and rustle up some food." I proceeded down the road and noticed as someone fell in stride beside me.

"Hey there Sewell"

"Hello Lieutenant, sleep well?"

"Not at all, you?"

"Not too bad I managed to find some company." I raised my eyes in surprise and kept silent on that matter.

"Look, thanks for reporting in for me yesterday, I... I was in a bad way so thank you and I won't let it happen again"

"Roger that Sir, what's on tap for today?"

"Well right now I'm looking to set up food and later I hear some officials are coming in."

"Hmm." He mused "So how are you going to find food for all the boys?"

"Well I was thinking I'd go down to the Quartermaster or to the supply tents and try and find some cooks, maybe or just find something to warm up at least." He nodded and followed me toward the tent encampment strung out along I-15. I meandered throughout the city until I came to a large tent in the middle of the camp. I looked around it and there were crates within and around the tent. I stepped up to one and squatted by its side. The labeling on the side was starting to peel and read Cram, Instamash and Salisbury Steak. I glanced at the other crates and most of them held MRE's but this was the only one that held 'real' food was the one in front of me.

"Sir" Sewell tapped my shoulder and pointed inside the tent. I looked up and saw a haggard man eyeing me from inside the tent.

"Can I help you boys?" He asked warily

"Yes Sir" I stepped up to him and extended my hand "I'm Lieutenant Dawes, I'm trying to get the troops on their feet, and I was wondering if you could help me get something up and running." He shook my hand and said

"Well, I'm no cook but we can get some fires going maybe warm up some MRE's"

"Alright, if I can find real cooks would you be willing to break open the real food?"

"Find a real cook, and then we'll talk"

"Thanks, I start sending the men down and I'll find a cook" I headed out of the tent and turned to Sewell

"Staff Sergeant, would you run back up to the outpost and tell all the men where the food is coming from but wait a few minutes so we can give Quartermaster..." I didn't even ask his name, "Well give him some time to get prepared. And also do you have and idea about where I could find a cook" He shrugged at me before walking off and said

"Sorry Sir" Then he proceeded up the hill. I hunted around the encampment for a cook but none appeared. I finally made my way back to the Quartermaster's tent and found a myriad of soldiers sitting on the ground shoving food into their mouths or standing in line. As I walked toward the tent a few glasses were raised in my direction and some soldiers nodded their thanks. I motioned at two finger salute off the top of my brow. I was about to step in line when someone got my attention

"Hey" The quartermaster hissed at me "There are way too many people here and I can't feed them all I need some help here" I looked down at my watch: ten twenty five . I looked back up at the quartermaster.

"Okay I can help for a little, but I don't have forever." I served the soldiers for roughly thirty minutes. With each plate I served up the soldiers didn't say much but they all showed their appreciation in one way or another mostly in the way they eyed the food and nodded to me. After most of them had eaten I shoveled an MRE into my mouth. It tasted bland but I needed the energy. Sewell has still hanging around tent and I motioned to him and we headed back up the hill. We crested the hill and I looked back to see the tent encampment it was a sprawl but I could tell that most of everyone here was managing to pick themselves up after the constant fighting and running. I headed toward the command building and went to report to Hsu.

Most of the officers were in the room already, I nodded to Gorobets and to Chief Hanlon both of whom I had worked with previously. I stepped up toward Hsu, saluted and made my report.

"Sir, I've woken up all the troops and I managed to get most of them feed."

"Good Job, Dawes, where did the food come from?"

"I found a quartermaster sir" He nodded and resumed his speech.

"Allright back to business. We gotten in contact with Shady Sands and they are sending in some reinforcements and General Stone is coming in to asses the situation the ETA is supposed to twelve hundred but we'll see how that goes. Right now I want you men to rally your respective units and have them ready to receive the General at Twelve Hundred." All the offices saluted and headed to tend to their duties. Hsu turned to his desk and began to analyze various reports

"Sir"I coughed. He turned to me surprised that I was still three

"Dawes, don't you have any soldiers to tend to?"

"No Sir I am a ranger I've mostly worked alone on missions or with a spotter"

"Well then you have an hour to be of your own recognizance. Use it well report back before the general arrives"

"Yes sir"


	5. Chapter 5

I sat in the courtyard behind the command building and looked at the picnic table where I had field stripped my pistols. I carefully oiled and cleaned each piece I checked the elasticity of each spring and the reliability of the action, slide and breach. I reassembled both pistols and reholstered them. I put my anti-material rifle on the table and began to take it apart. I gave it the same treatment as my pistols cleaning and oiling each particular piece. After I had disassembled and reassembled each weapon I looked down at my watch: eleven thirty . I walked to the minuscule front and looked out over the Mojave. I remembered the macabre report that had came out of Nipton, the lottery. I could only imagine what types of reprobate games were being played throughout the wasteland. I climbed the statue to the spot where Bitter Root had shot the legionnaires and looked out over the wasteland. Even though I knew what was occupying the wasteland it didn't stop me appreciating the beauty of the noon day sun over the mojave I enjoyed the view for a moment and climbed down from the statues and headed over toward the command building. I saw most of the troops beginning to coalesce near the gates that lead to the tent encampment. I was about to step into the command building when I heard a chopping sound that I didn't recognize. I looked around but nothing presented itself as a source of the noise. I moved my hand toward the door but it opened before my hand found the handle. Hsu and the other officers walked out of the building and I decided to fall in with them. I spotted something I had rarely ever seen a vertibird. It flew like nothing I had ever seen before, man controlling the sky, it was the first thing in the past two weeks that brought and honest smile to my face. The officers stood with the statues at our backs and all the soldiers stood facing the offices room enough for the aircraft to land in between. The vertibird was hovering over the area between the two groups. It touched down and perched on the ground. The door opened with a pneumatic hiss. A boot stepped out of the door and it was followed by one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. I realized that I recognized her. Two heavy troopers stepped out behind her as bodyguards. All the officers saluted and thankfully I wasn't utterly blindsided and I saluted with them. Her green eyes searched over the group of officers looking of any insignia. She found Hsu and walked up to him

"Colonel I need a full report on the situation. I've heard a lot of things and all this shit is getting mixed up"

"Yes Ma'am, right this way" The two commanders proceeded to the Hsu's office but before they both disappeared she turned to the mob of soldiers looking down on them her face full of contemplation.

"YOU MEN!" she yelled "You have ALL fought valiantly, even though you may have been beaten back, you shall prevail. We will Fight. We will Kill . We shall WIN OUR REDEMPTION!"Nobody was prepared for the short impromptu speech but after a moment of confusion one soldier the clapping started an avalanche of sound followed it, screeching, whistling, clapping echoed all around me in retaliation. And with that both she and Hsu headed into the command building.

After that things started happening very fast. General Stone was not the first to arrive but that was the only vertibird. Convoys of soldiers started appearing by the truck load. There were hundreds if not thousands of them and they were all green. All of them optimistic. All the soldiers here stared at them in wonder and they stared back at us. We all wondered what had happened to the other group to make them this way. But that didn't last to long most of the day was spent getting the new soldiers settled in and combat ready. I prayed that they knew how to use their service rifles. After the commotion of the afternoon I finally looked down at my watch and it was five o'clock I was standing by the vertibird and I saw Stone exit the command building followed by Hsu then her body guards. She shook hands with him and he headed toward the tent encampment while she turned around and headed back inside. I was eager to talk to her.

"Dawes!" Hsu called out. He walked over to me, he looked disgruntled "Give me a quick report on what I've missed today." I gave him a quick report which consisted of 'there's a lot more soldiers'

I looked back at him "And you sir, what did the General have to say?"

"She took my office" I would almost call it complaining but Hsu was too professional of a man.

"Well, I'm sorry sir I don't know what to say" He grunted and made a waving aside motion with his hand.

"Well there is nothing to say it's irrelevant"

"Oh well...What happens now sir?" It was a simple question but we both knew that it contained more than just those four simple words. I meant what was the future of the of this war, what was the future of the Mojave, what was the future of the Republic.

"Well, I think we're going back"

"You mean retreating?"

"No" he sighed "I mean were going back into the Mojave, I mean we're restarting this War and were sending more young men to their..." He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. "No were not retreating"

"I understand sir, have you talked with any of the new troops"

"No I've been with Stone all day"

"They're too green. I don't think they'll be any of any use on the field." He snorted out a laugh

"Hah, You should tell Stone that, She's dead set that this will finally win us the Mojave."

"How can we win after we've lost so much"

"I trust you Dawes so keep this close to the vest, we are going to use the Legion's strategy against them we now have force while they are spread out" I scoffed

"That's it?"

"It worked, The legion lost men taking the Mojave and hopefully we can take it back by playing the same game we lost at."

"Really?"

"Well if we can manage to kill the legate the hope is that the legion will be lost in a power struggle." He looked at me " Have you ever read the Republic?"

"No Sir, Plato correct"

"Yes but that's not the important part, It teaches many lessons on leadership and on Greco-Roman history. One of these lessons is that if you don't learn from history you are doomed to repeat it" He looked at me "You understand?"

"Yes Sir I think I do"

"Good, I'm headed down to the tents to find some dinner, you want to go?"

"No Sir" I glanced back at the command building "I've got something I need to catch up on"


	6. Chapter 6

I headed toward the command building and pushed the doors open. I stepped inside and immediately had two rifles aimed in my face. Two figures stood clad in power armor and stared down the sights of their rifles. The larger one who was at least 6'5 stepped up toward me and looked me up and down finding me acceptable, a deep voice echoed out of the helmet.

"Name, Rank and Business?" He sounded like a machine. I muttered

"Good to see you to soldier" even though I couldn't see his face but from his tone and stance I could tell he wasn't amused

" . And Business."

"Jason Dawes, Lieutenant, I want to speak with General Stone" the giant glared down at me . He glared at me as if he was waiting for me to continue.

"To discuss plans for what happens next" It was a lame excuse but I hoped it would work. The giant didn't find that good enough.

"You're a Lieutenant" He said, it was as few words as possible but what he meant was clear. That was need to know information and I didn't need to know.

"Look" I sighed "tell her Jason Dawes is here, she should know who I am" The giant motioned to his comrade

"Go tell her." We stared at each other for a moment. I looked up at him and decided to try to find out some about him

"Well I showed you mine so you show me yours"

"Franks, Captain, Bodyguard to General Stone."

"Well, you are a wealth of information" He continued to stare at me through his helmet. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence for me at least. I doubted if this man ever felt uncomfortable. The other bodyguard returned from the hallway. There was a tense moment exchanged as they both stared at each other. The smaller one turned to me

"She'll see you." I exhaled and headed toward the office

Ten years ago when I was seventeen I lived near The hub. My family was very poor and we ranched Brahmin with a few other families. But unfortunately we lost everything we had to a fire it burnt down my home and the barn we shared with the other families. One of the families we lived with was the Kelly's and the other was the Stone's. Needless to say I grew up with them and the girl I grew up loving was Jessica Stone. After the fire everything was lost most of the kids from there joined the NCR and we were broken up and dispersed as the republic saw fit. I've saw one of my family members since then: My cousin Bryce he became a quartermaster and I think he ended up in Forlorn Hope but I hoped that he hadn't. As I headed down the hall toward her office all these thoughts came back to me but as I opened the door all thoughts vanished and I was left with only the present. I opened the door and stepped inside. She was faced away from me and I took of my helmet and coughed. She turned around and I got a good view of her face for the first time in ten years. She was very beautiful a pale blond with sea green eyes. We studied each other for a moment. I ventured

"It's been a while"

"It has"

"So...How'd you make it to General?"

"Like you said it's been a while"

"I've missed the farm" She frowned at my statement

"Really?"

"Yes, it was a helluva lot better than what's been going on for the past two weeks and I'm sure it's better than what's happening all over the Mojave, it's going to be hell out there."

"This is true but I think we finally have a chance to win back the whole Mojave, clear the legion out for good" I nodded and thought for a moment.

"What's the estimated death toll?"

"For legion the plan is that we can eliminate most if not of all the effective command structure then the legionaries themselves won't be an issue then after that ..." I interrupted her

"No how many NCR estimated dead?" Her frown deepened

"I haven't done the math."

"What about all the other areas of the republic? How well guarded are they. I know these troops didn't come from nowhere?"

"The troops have been drawn out of most inland areas of the republic. And they've been redirected here."

"How is the command structure going to be eliminated?" She eyed the anti-material rifle on my back

"Assassination." As she spoke I could see the steel wall behind her eyes she had utmost faith in her plan. Ten years can change a person, it had changed me. But it had made a different person out of Jessica. She had made the climb to general quickly but I wondered what the cost had been.

"What about after?"

"After this the NCR should have full control Mojave"

"That's not what I meant" She looked confused as if there was nothing to discuss besides the war

"What do you mean Lieutenant?"

"I mean what about these piss green grunts you brought in, what about everyone in the mojave?" My voice lowered and I breathed out "What about us?"

"There's been no Us for ten years" I looked into the steel eyes

"Do you want there to be one" I ventured but the steel eyes stared back at me

"Find me after the war is over soldier, until then you're dismissed" I saluted

"Yes Ma'am"

I was confused I didn't know what or how to think. But I did know one thing I was going to get through this war and get back to her one way or but after that I didn't know what would happen, there was that steel wall inside of her to contend with. I headed back out through the office and before I stepped out of the hallway a rifle swung down from left and impeded my progress. The power armored figure followed the rifle into my vision. Franks voice echoed out of the power armor.

"Satisfied"

"Completely" I grunted in a sarcastic tone. His power armored eyes followed me until I stepped out of the command building. I looked down at my watch but realized I didn't care what time it was, the day had drug me out and worn me down. I looked past the gates toward the tent encampment. It had tripled if not quadrupled. There may have been empty beds there but I couldn't bring myself to sleep there. I walked toward the courtyard hoping to find the boulder that I'd made my bed for the last few nights. I saw a shadow on the roof of the outbuilding and it grabbed my attention. She was trying to go un-noticed but she knew my senses were greater than her desire to be unseen. We had been good friends and comrades for a long time I walked up the ramp and I could see her head turn toward me as she heard the sound of my boots.

"Hey Ghost, glad to see you made it through

"You find what you were looking for?" She interrupted my attempt at a conversation. We both had known why I'd really came up here.

"I found something else... She's different now"

"And you're not?"

"It's not like that"

"Hand me your rifle"

"Why?"

"Just do it" I slung the long barreled weapon of my back and handed it to her. She examined it up and down taking a careful look at the butt stock of the weapon.

"I count fifty two tally marks on this weapon" Her eyes found mine "What do they stand for?"

"You know as well as I do" Her eyes continued to probe me. I sighed

"It's a tally of how many legion I've killed"

"Fifty Two lives" She breathed out the words, mocking me, "And you think that each one of those lives hasn't changed a damn thing?"

"Ghost" I warned.

"And I'm assuming that's not all of them either." She gestured at me with the weapon "This stock is mostly out of room"

I remembered taunts like this from when Ghost had just begun training me to become a ranger, she was a damn good drill sergeant. She could always read me like a book. And even now I felt like I was again in drill camp. A babe in the woods.

"FINE!" I shouted "I'm a killer now, I've taken lives, God knows how many, My hands are fucking CACHED in blood" During the onslaught of the past two weeks I had killed many and it weighed on me. But even more than that was how many NCR had died. One half to one third Hsu had said. I shuddered.

"Is that what you wanted to hear...Is it?" I continued yelling

"No Dawes that's not what I wanted to hear, I wanted the truth, Is that the truth.?" I sighed and balled my fists trying to release the tension knotted in them.

"I don't know" She grabbed my hand

"Jason, you're not a killer, you're a soldier" She looked me in the eyes "Go get some sleep lieutenant" I couldn't think of a response so I simply sighed trudged toward my rock and let sleep take me. Thankfully the sleep was, for once, dreamless.


	7. Chapter 7

My eyes shot open as I felt a boot impact me in the stomach. My eyes searched for the attacker and found a giant obscured by the sun. The boot was still close to my hands and they shot out and grabbed it. I yanked the ankle toward me and the giant toppled toward the ground. As it was floundering on the ground I flashed up and brought foot down upon it's knee and met hard metal. My hands flew toward both my armpits and brought my pistols to bear on its face. A power armor helmet rested in my sights.

"Calm down Dawes" Frank's voice came through the helmet's. The man wasn't even concerned with the two bullets ready to impact his face.

"Shit Franks" I sighed "You can't just do that kinda stuff to people"

"You're awake" He said as if that was some form of explanation "Follow me" He got up and starting stalking away.

"Look, I almost shot you, you can't just kick people awake" I berated him as he walked away. He acted as if the guns hadn't affected him at all, which based on his whole demeanor they might not have. I sighed and followed him through the courtyard. We ended up at the doors of a command building and we proceeded inside. He turned to me and stated

"The General wants to see you."

"Thanks" I grunted. I entered the command building then walked toward the back and stepped into Stone's office. The back of a ranger's black armor obstructed my vision. The Ranger turned toward me and nodded his acknowledgment. There weren't too many rangers who earned their black armor and I was somewhat surprised at seeing another one. I stepped up beside him and saluted General Stone.

"Ma'am, may I ask why I'm here" She looked me up and down

"You may, in a minute" After the retort I stood still and waited for something to happen. A minute passed and I eyed the General and she didn't give any inclination as to why I was here. I heard the door creak and turned around to see two more rangers clad in black armor enter. We all eyed each other up and down trying to take the measure of each other soldier. Then I turned my eyes back toward General Stone. She eyed the group of rangers looking for any sign of weakness.

"You all rangers, the best the Republic has to offer. Are you not?" Her voice seemed to test the metal of each individual ranger.

"Ma'am yes Ma'am" We sounded of as if it was some form of answer.

"At thirteen hundred I will be giving a briefing on the new plan to retake the Mojave. You soldiers will be integral to completing one half of this mission. Your task will be eliminating the command structure. Your current target will be the legion commander in Primm. Then we shall review the results and determine the further mission objectives. As of now your current orders are to gain insight on how you would work as a unit and go over reports of Primm' Do you all understand your orders?" I for one had to rewind all the information I was just bombarded with but in unison we chorused

"Yes Ma'am" We saluted and jostled our way through the doorway. We headed through the building and turned the heads of many personnel. Usually when you saw this many black armor clad rangers it meant that the president or vice president was nearby. This time we had a far more lethal objective than being a bodyguard. We were going for blood. We marched in unison toward the back of the compound and all assumed positions around one of the picnic tables. It was an awkward situation we had all just been told to make friends to by a commanding officer. We had all had our share of strange assignments but this one was out of left field. Out of us three were male one female. The one woman and I were Caucasian. The other two men were Black and Latino I assumed he was from Baja or another southern region. I looked around and decided to start the current 'assignment'.

"I'm Lieutenant Jason Dawes, I've been a ranger for five years, I earned my black armor and been with special operations for three years. I'm a designated marksman and an covert warfare specialist." Fortunately we all had take off our helmets.I didn't have to speak to distant ghosts that we all became during a mission.. The black ranger to my left nodded and introduced himself. He was a well built man in his mid thirties with short hair and a close cropped beard

"Captain Solomon Chambers, Ranger for ten years, special operations and black armor for seven. I've earned several specializations covert warfare, demolitions and marksmanship." I nodded my acknowledgment, he had an impressive career. He was fully as qualified as any ranger I knew and if I remembered he was a prime candidate for chief after Hanlon stepped down. I was glad we had him on our team. The Latino man was named Leo Vasquez. The woman was a redhead and was named Cassidy Thompson. They were both fairly new to working with special operations and they had had their black armor for under a year. As the evening progressed we began to edge toward an understanding of each other. Both Thompson and Vasquez were fairly new to the whole situation in the mojave and were only on this mission because the NCR had taken such a hit in the past weeks. Chambers and I were the only 'senior' rangers in the whole ramshackle compound. We took the afternoon pouring over the limited reports of Primm. We had little to no information on the town since we had been booted from the region but there was a confirmed sighting Aurelius of Phoenix we all agreed that he was the real reason why we had been assigned to take out Primm. We knew little about him other than the fact that he was a hispanic male around the age of thirty. As we hashed out details and what we knew of the town of Primm a plan was coming together. At one point Chambers had lost me when he mentioned some sort of grappling hook weapon but as we continued to talk out the plan I saw the why Chambers was a Captain and I a lieutenant. After Chambers wrote an action plan we continued to talk and I found out that Chambers actually had a wife and son who was named Steven. We talked for an hour or more and I discovered that Thompson was from Vault City and had grown up within the military. Vasquez's first name was actually Leonardo and he was indeed from Baja. Once we had shot the shit sufficiently there was a shared moment of silence. We had all become friendly if not friends. I looked at Chambers and sighed out a last breath and shrugged my shoulders

"Well we've gotta go back into the wolf's den and report back" I met his eyes "any sacrifices?"Chambers snorted out a laugh

"Alright kids any volunteers" he looked around at the group meeting each pair of eyes "Well then Dawes if you're so eager you can go report in" I looked at him and sighed again "Anything for my republic" He retorted with another snort of nodded his thanks to me and handed me the plans we had been drawing up. I got up from the picnic table and walked around toward the front door of the command building. The formed flurry of NCR had risen back up again. All new faces and personal had flooded the building since Stone had taken over I could see just how green they all looked. I proceeded back toward the back offices I then had the pleasure of laying my eyes on the only thing that wasn't green in the whole building, the mountain of steel that was the bodyguards and Franks himself. I realized I had no idea what the others name was and I decided that was as good and attempt to break the ice with franks as any.

"So..." I ventured "I have the distinguished honor of knowing you" I pointed my finger at Franks "What's tweedledee's name?" Franks helmeted eyes bored into mine"

"What do you want?" His voice issued out of his helmet.

"Here to report into General Stone"

"Chambers?" He conveyed all of his sentence with one word

"We drew straws, what the hell do you think happened? he sent me now may I PLEASE go report in"

"Proceed" He answered in an unamused tone

"Thank you very much" I gave a dramatic bow and continued down the hall. It may have been a foolish idea to provoke Franks since he was a superior officer but he had kicked me in the stomach so I considered us even. I trudged down the hall and looked at the frosted glass on Stone's door. Someone had painted her name on the door. All that had happened all those who had died, all the blood that was dried in the desert. And this name was painted onto this fucking door. Briefly my mind's eye was consumed with the image of me bashing that frosted door to pieces. I breathed out and settled myself and knocked on the door. I waited for a response I heard a cough then I heard Stone's voice callout

"Enter" She was facing her terminal and didn't know who was at her door, it was fairly reminiscent of all the rookies that she brought here: no awareness.

"Ma'am, Captain Chambers sent me in to report" I motioned with her to the papers I held in my hand. Her eyes probed my whole form searching for anything out of place as if we were on a drill ground and she was my drill sergeant. Interiorly I laughed at the idea of anyone replacing Ghost as my drill sergeant. But there were things to do and I couldn't afford to drift off in front of Stone.

"What's that in your hand Lieutenant?" She asked

"It's the plans that we drew up for the assault on Primm"

"You're incorrect Lieutenant this is no mere assault" I could hear the acidity, almost like I had kicked her dog "This is an assassination"

"Pardon me ma'am" I looked into the steel green eyes " Here are the plans for the 'assassination'" I handed her the plans and watched her eyes as she reviewed them. Her green eyes were like searchlights looking for any escapees. Her eyes furrowed momentarily and then continued over the report.

"Tell Chambers I'd like to speak with him." Her eyes seemed confused but under that I could see a gleam of the Jessica I knew a lifetime ago.

"Ma'am" I saluted. I thought back to shortly after the barn fire and I had to leave. I traveled to the hub. I met a preacher shortly after I was an old black man who gnawed on anyones ear as long as they would listen. I only knew him as Father Mills but he taught me much about god and then I joined the army so I'm not sure how many lessons I absorbed there are some things I learned. He taught me many phrases some numbering from the bible and the quran. But one sprung to mind when I saw the light in Jessica's eyes. 'Wherever there is life, young son, there is hope'. He was old enough to be my grandfather but he called everyone young son. But Jessica's honest confusion brought that phrase back to me even though her life was trapped in a steel cage, it was there and there was hope. I smiled her a little and she frowned

"Sorry Ma'am old thought reporting to Chambers." Her eyes searched me up and down looking for the escapee that was the smile. She didn't seem to find anything out of order so she dismissively turned back to her terminal. I headed out of the building and I was lucky enough not to have Franks kick me in the stomach again. I went back to the picnic table and sat down in the middle of a story. Thompson was in the middle of explaining how she and her unit had blow a bridge that a legion patrol had been using and they fell into a gorge. The rest of them laughed and I stood there.

"Dawes" Chambers called out a smile on his face "How was the General?"

"Well sir" I smiled " Funny story about that, she wants to see you"

"Uggh" He sighed "Thanks for that, Alright troops it's been fun but I get to go to the General" he flashed us a grin and turned to go. For being as old as he was and seeing all the action he had I was surprised he was walked away from the group and I took back my seat. Thompson resumed her story and Vasquez ate it up. Maybe Father Mills' stories had rubbed off more than I know. It's hard for me to find any joy in the stories all I can see are my dreams and hearing other's stories. Over the years I've had the opportunity to talk with many soldiers and had the pleasure to drink beer with a few. Inevitably the subject of kills how many to how extravagant. I've always leaned back and abstained. Even though I've never seen any burning bush or squeezed by an angle and told to recite. I've always prayed for forgiveness after a kill and I've always had to shut my eyes once I end a life. Vasquez was in the middle of explaining how he had stabbed a legionnaire. I had been trained to be a killer and I was even good at it but I couldn't find any pleasure in the act. I stood up in the middle of the story and they both looked at me. Vasquez's brown eyes searched mine questioningly.

"You okay sir?"

"Yeah perfect, I gotta step out."

"Sure you got it Sir."

I walked over toward the infirmary with the full intention with finding the girl from earlier and getting a drink. As I stepped to the door I halted and I balled my fist. I leaned against the doorframe and gently hit it with my balled fist and sighed. Out of all the ways to deal with my issues this was not it. I looked around and saw the ramp to the rooftop. It would burn like whiskey but it'd be better for me in the long run, so I went to talk to Ghost.

Her head turned toward me when she heard me coming up the ramp. She smiled and said

"What's up Dawes?" I interrupted her asking

"How many people have you killed" She frowned and asked

"Why does that matter?" I looked off east into the mojave, sun spearing my eyes then answered

"How can it not matter?"She sighed before answering

"Dawes, you think about it too much. You gotta let these things go" She reached out and patted my balled fist. Then I asked

"Let go... Let go" It sounded like a foreign language "How do you that" She turned east as well saying,

"One step at a time Dawes"

"Hell I might just go get something to drink instead" Her sunglassed eyes bored into me

"Shit maybe not, I don't know Ghost, I gotta do something" She squeezed my hands

"Let it go soldier, forget" I snorted out laughter.

"Thanks, Ghost I appreciate it"


	8. Chapter 8

As the day progressed Stone called all the officers together and gave a staff briefing. After that she gave a speech to all of the soldiers. She called the operation "Redemption" I gave an honest chuckle at that. She didn't give any information about the assassination just pandered on about how the NCR was going to win back the mojave in one fell swoop. It all sounded good, like a swift bolt of lighting, but it felt like a trap to me. The legion had to see something like this coming. Near the end she talking about how we would all win glory and that the Republic would be proud of all it's sons and daughters. I couldn't help wondering what the cost would be. How many of the republic's sons and daughters would end up with their blood on the desert. But all the troops roared their approval they were hungry for glory. I shook my head. After her speech Stone called the Ranger contingent to her office. I arrived first and I stood outside the door waiting for Chambers, Thompson arrived shortly after and I got a chance to really look at her. She was very pretty I had seen some pre war movies and she reminded me of an actress. Due to all the time rangers spent in the field we all had good tans at least on the face and it matched her hair quite nicely.

"Hey, Thompson"

"Hello Dawes, what are we waiting on"

"Right now I'm waiting for Chambers to show up" I answered "Not that I don't cherish my time with the general, but I'd rather have all the information out than just stand there" She nodded her agreement and past her shoulder I could see Chambers coming down the hall with Vasquez following him.

"Sir" I saluted him and Thompson turned and did the same

"Allright kids you ready?" He grinned at us. I nodded and we headed into General Stone's office. When I opened the door she was still at her terminal. Once she heard the door open she turned and eyed us up and down.

"Captain, Lieutenant" She nodded to us then looked to Thompson and Vasquez "Your mission as it stands is to be launched tonight. Infiltrate Primm, assassinate Aurelius of Phoenix then report back to me. You're scheduled to depart on foot at twenty-three hundred tonight and report back within twenty four hours. I want results don't waste time trying to line up the perfect shot,get in there and get Aurelius dead. Use the time until then to prepare yourselves." Her green eyes met each of ours in turn "Good Luck and Godspeed"

"Anything else Ma'am?" Chambers asked.

"No that is all, I've sent word to the quartermaster you can take anything you need... within reason"

"We'll head out tonight and report back in tomorrow Ma'am" his face sobered instantly "Thank you very much we will be back soon" He saluted then stepped between us and headed out of the doorway. We each saluted in turn and then followed Chambers. We regrouped outside around the picnic table.

"Well kids you all know the plan so go acquire the gear you need and then we will meet back up here around twenty-two hundred." We all saluted and broke to take care of our seperate needs. We all broke. Both Vasquez and Chambers headed around the side of the command building and Thompson went to the infirmary either to visit someone or to get a drink I'm not sure. I looked at all of their backs as they headed out to their respective preparations rituals. I walked around to the command building and stepped onto the long fifteen. I looked left and then right and shaded my eyes as the vertibird caught the noonday sun and speared my eyes. I briefly contemplated going to the statues but I'd already seen everything there was to see there so I went to the left to try to find something to occupy my time. I walked toward the tent city as many different thoughts raced through my mind. I ran over the layout of Primm and of the surrounding hills. I thought about everything I knew about Aurelius of Phoenix we thought he was an Arizona native and we knew he he had a real hatred of the NCR. We anticipated a lot on crosses in Primm. But we were going there for a reason: to avenge all those bodies. As I wandered through the tent city I had no real objective for the... I looked down at my watch seven hours I had. I went to the quartermaster and decided to get food in me before I left. I asked him for a MRE and thankfully he obliged me. I walked around the encampment for an hour or so until finally finding myself in a one of the quieter parts of the camp. It was the medical tent. Most of the people from up the hill had been moved down here which I supposed was a blessing. Most of the soldiers or even a few civilians were here. Thankfully most of them were on some sort of saline solution or a narcotic and they weren't making much noise. Even though I'm a soldier and a trained killer thats the one thing that sets my nerves off. People screaming and I can't do anything about it. As I peared into the tent I saw two figures moving around in the semi darkness. The first man was looking at the bags of intravenous and checking dosages the other was bending over the beds. I walked into the tent and stood in the flap for a momnet until the second man looked up at me. He was bald man with a long beard and blue eyes and he was beading a rosary.

"May I help you child?" His eyes searched mine looking for a soul to save

"No father Im fine just looking around" I looked at the Doctor "Do you need anything? I'm free for a little while with nothing to do" The doctor was disheveled. Even though all the troops had recovered the wounded were still ailing and the doctor hadn't had any sleep. I could see the bags under his eyes.

"Do you have any medical training?" He looked like he was grasping for straws.

"Some a little first aid" I looked at the soldiers laying around the tent. Their wounds ranged from minor shrapnel to limbs missing. The minor wounds would heal on their own and the major ones I couldn't do anything for.

"I appreciate the offer" He squinted at my collar "Lieutenant but I don't think there's too much you can do for these boys but ask the padre over there" he motioned to the priest praying over the wounded. I nodded my thanks and headed over to the priest. I came up behind him but he was focused on his prayers. I coughed to get his attention.

"Excuse me father" He glanced at me over his shoulder

"Yes?" I stood there for a moment.

"Is there anything I can do to help you, I have some time sir"

"Yes my son ,pray for these men." He turned back to the soldier laying on the bed as if there was nothing left to say. I looked at all the men and women in the room. I couldn't help the doctor so I'd help the priest. I stood there awkwardly and then agreed

"Okay Father,... I can do that" I spent my next few hours in the tent bent over the beds of the dying and ailing soldiers. I did what I could I don't know how much it helped.


	9. Chapter 9

The next time I glanced down at my watch it was close to twenty-two hundred. I stood up from the bed where I was bent over a soldier. I looked up from my prayers and sought out the priest. I walked over to him and bent down to his ear to whisper

"Sorry Father, I've got to be going" He didn't speak just met my eyes and nodded. I next headed to the doctor and shook his hand as I said

"Sorry I couldn't help you out any but I'll check in with headquarters and see if I can direct anything in the way of help down here." He had even fewer words than the priest, eyes just looked out from the craters they were in and bobbed once. I shook his hand once more and walked toward the quartermaster's tent. I didn't ask for anything too extravagant just two grenades, and a silenced sub-machine gun, most miscellaneous supplies I had on my belt, knife,flashlight, canteen. I looked around at all the supplies in the tent, there was everything from mortars to flashbangs. The only concession I made was to trade my anti-material rifle for a scoped and silenced hunting rifle I couldn't think of anything else I needed so I filled out the forms the quartermaster handed me and headed to the command building. I looked in the back of the courtyard and didn't see any of my fellow rangers. I turned and instead went into the command building itself. I stepped into the the foyer and mentioned the doctor to major knight he gave me the same overstressed and overworked routine as last time but as far as I was concerned I had done what I could. I headed out to the courtyard and stood there for a moment. I always get a little jittery before a mission. I try to get my head in the game or "get pumped" like some of the more gung ho soldiers do, but it never works. I need to get calm, I do that by either just sitting and meditating or smoking my pipe or a cigar, but that was lost when the legion began their push. I don't enjoy smoking cigarettes so I was left with sitting with myself. I decided to sit on the picnic bench and close my eyes for a moment. Im sure I had private thought or prayers but I can't remember them. But my eyes opened again when I heard boots crunch on the gravel of the courtyard. My eyes sought them out and I followed the legs up to the face it was Thompson. I smiled at her

"Hey how you doing?" She returned the smile

"Fairly well, I got to catch up on some much needed sleep, what did you do" I grinded

"This and that" I answered evasively "But I think I saw Vasquez getting a little tipsy down by the" I made air quotes with my fingers "mess hall" She tisked but she could tell I was joking

"Lets hope not, You'd whip his ass, Chambers would whip his ass, Stone would whip his ass, then I would whip his just for good luck." I snorted, then my eyes caught movement around the corner I saw Vasquez and I pointed subtly and Cassidy turned and let out a full throated laugh. Vasquez stopped and a confused look lit up his face.

"Umm, is there a reason?"

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear" I explained as if that was a way of answer. He frowned and said

"Okay then, I'll just let that one go" I grinned at him before saying

"Sounds good" I sobered quickly "You ready for this, got everything you need?" His confused look morphed into one of grim anticipation, which was mirrored by the look on Thompson's face.

"I think so, I've got all the gear I need and I got a few winks in so..." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, rustling his gear "Yeah I think I'm good" I nodded my approval

"Good, head in the game?"

"As much as it'll ever be"

"You worried?" He sucked in a breath into his chest and was about to give what I assumed was a loud 'Sir yes Sir' but instead he let it out and instead answered

"I'd be a liar if I said no" An honest smile teased it's way across my face.

"Good, its normal to be nervous, I always get a little jittery before a mission, usually I smoke a pipe,but I think there's been enough smoke in the mojave as of late." We were going into to danger and sometime only gallows humor will do. It earned only a ghost of a smile from the two rangers but it'd do. We all shared a moment of silence lost in our own thoughts. We were shocked out of it when we heard Chamber's voice as he walked up

"Come on, kids buck up a little, we are invincible remember, its not like they're gonna shoot us or anything." It had the desired effect on the two younger rangers but the only thing that it conjured to mind for me was all the other ways they could kill us. I shook my head and banished the thoughts from my mind. Chambers face still held up the smile but his voice took on a more serious tone

"It's gonna be serious kids, you all know the plan and the objective. You know what I expect and what the General expects, besides that let's get to it." We all nodded and shrugged into our gear, synced and started our mission clocks and headed out. It was twelve miles from Mojave outpost to Primm we took it at an easy jog, we were all highly conditioned but in full kit of riot armor and trench coat it became very hot very quick. We made the run in about an hour and forty five minutes. It was damn good time but we all we're fairly tired after the run. We stopped half a mile from Primm at around one fifteen in the morning. We all had canteens but we drank sparingly from them. We layed prone on the ground for half an hour catching our collective breath. At roughly two in the morning Chambers softly spoke out

"We are roughly a half mile west of Primm, if we can skirt around the town to the east we can use the hills for cover and observe the town, then tomorrow night we'll put the plan into action, mission time frame is twenty four hours so far we are three hours into mission that gives us twenty-one hours to complete mission. As far as I'm concerned that is a suggested time, they are waiting on us not the other way around so I'm going to take as much time as I need to successfully complete my mission. Any complaints, questions or concerns?" We all shook our heads in the negative. We began a slow and low belly crawl toward the east side. It took us maybe two to three hours to crawl across the desert plain to the hills east of primm and west. We quickly scrambled up the hills and began a silent vigil. The sun was rising and we we able to see the town come alive below us. The legion wasn't stupid and they had guards posted in the town and they guards periodically patrolling the hills. Vasquez and I were observing at around the town from a vantage point when we heard rocks fall beneath use. We both became stock still and listened for any noise.

"Foolish Profligates... just crucifixion...apostate whores." we both had our helmets off as to avoid any glare bouncing off the eyes plates so I mouthed to Vasquez

"Legion Patrol." His eyes narrowed and I saw the steel in them. Whatever he did to get his head in the right place it had hand reached for his belt and briefly wavered between a grenade and his knife. I made a short chopping motion across my neck and stared him down. I mouthed at him

"Don't do it" His eyes bored into mine. He scowled. I began to whisper "Remember this isnt a raid this is an assassination, remain undetected" His scowl lightened into a frown and his hand retreated from his belt. We heard the legion continue talking as they moved on. They spoke freely, they were relaxed, they weren't expecting us. I smiled, I wanted them to stay that way. After they passed we helmeted up again returned to Chambers and Cassidy, they were performing the same task as us but just from a different vantage point. They turned weapons in our faces when they heard our footsteps. When they saw our helmets and black trench coats they lowered their guns and breathed out. Chambers spoke softly

"What is it Dawes?" I responded in the same soft voice

"Sir, legion patrol passed by they were loose unaware. They think they've beaten us. I think we can take them easy" A grin passed over his face.

"Good" Then a thought crossed his face and the grin vanished "There's something you boys should know, there's a pen in the southeast part of the town." He paused momentarily "They're holding slaves, I think there roughly one hundred there. Some of our boys as well as civilians" I held him in an even gaze

"Are we making them an objective Sir?" He let out a sigh then replied

"I dont think we can, not this time, sorry kid" I could tell he held a little sympathy for me.

"Sir" I said "Those are slaves down there"

"I said" he intoned "We can't do anything about it" He couldn't see the frown underneath my helmet

"Very well Sir" He nodded.

"Good return to your observation post, we move in at nightfall" Both Vasquez and I yes sir'ed and crawled back. We continued to watch their activities until the sun began to disappear from the sky.


	10. Chapter 10

Just as the sun fell behind the horizon we put our helmets on again. As we got up and headed over to join Chambers I grabbed Vasquez's shoulder

"Hey I saw the look in your eyes today" He looked at me "I want you to know that there will be time for that soon, very soon" A predator's grin crossed his face. We came up to the position that we had found Chambers and Cassidy but this time they were expecting us. Chambers stood up from a squat and he smudged out a diagram that he had drawn on the ground.

"Alright kiddos we're going is everyone ready?" We all flipped on our low light vision in began to circle in on the town when I saw movement on the roller-coaster, I got Thompson's attention and pointed. As we shot another look towards town I saw guards walking on the derelict roller-coaster. I looked toward Chambers and he nodded affirmative. Both Thompson I centered our rifle scopes on the sentries, in the darkness I could only tell he was a male maybe 5'11 or 6 flat. My crosshairs centered on him and as I let out a breath to make sure my rifle was absolutely still, I sent up a prayer as well. I gently stroked the trigger and the silencer let out a soft cough and the legionnaire fell two stories to impact the ground with a wet and final smack. The sound drew the attention of the other legionnaire but as soon as his torso began to turn it was pierced by the round from Thompson's rifle. He fell to embrace the ground and to join his brother. Not but two seconds later we had slid up against the stone wall that surrounded Primm. Chambers looked at us through his helmet and whispered

"Thompson, give me the grappling gun" she gave him the requested gun and stepped back. He hefted the enormous weapon. It had the stock of a rifle but the 'barrel' had a giant coil of rope on the bottom half that was attached to the grappling hook. Chambers hoisted the gun up and it looked substantially heavy because it took Chambers two tries to successfully level it with the roller-coaster. I rushed over to help him and we aimed it at the arc of the roller-coaster. Chambers breathed out.

"One...Two...THREE!" He depressed the trigger and the grappling hook exploded upwards towards the roller-coaster. We watched it's arc and it it latched onto the railing and stuck. It held there for a moment and then Chambers tugged on it. A smile crossed his face and he whispered.

"Okay kiddos it looks like we're good. Dawes I want you to go up first, if you see any legionnaires you can take out without alerting the town. Take 'em" I nodded

"Yes sir" I looked up at the rope. It had latched on at the highest point on the roller-coaster maybe thirty or forty feet high. I grabbed onto the rope and gave it a quick tug. It had some give but it seemed sturdy enough. I looked back at Chambers and whispered

"If I fall and break my back, just give me a bullet, I don't want to be like that." Chambers only responded with a curt nod. I tugged it on it once more and sighed. Get busy living or get busy dying. As I began to do an inchworm crawl up the rope I could feel my muscles begin to burn. It doesn't matter how big and burly you are or how much you can bench, pulling your whole body weight up a rope is hard and it hurts. When I was about five feet from the top I hear the railing creek and I stopped stock still, I hung there for a moment waiting to fall, after I gave it a moment I inched as fast as I could then lunged for the railing. When my fingers circled around it I heard it groan in more protest, I quickly swung under the railing. When I had finally pulled myself up I crouched took a second to catch my breath and brought up my rifle scope to survey the area around me. Just as Chambers had said there was a slave cage in the southeast half of the town. I could see some crucifixes highlighted by the torches placed around the pen. My crosshairs lingered on the legionnaires there for a long moment my finger even contemplated moving about two inches backward on the trigger, but I banished the thought from my mind. I continued to look around but I didn't find any legion lookouts that I could safely take out. But I quickly memorized the spots of the ones I could see in case we were spotted. I reached down and grabbed the rope giving it two quick tugs signaling for the next ranger to come up. I felt the rope begin to pull as weight as it took the weight of another ranger. I grabbed and wound the rope around my arm just in case the railing wasn't strong enough. I saw the black helmet come up the rope and I grabbed the offered arm to pull the ranger up, at this point all helmets were on and I didn't even have the benefit of a voice to help me guess that other soldiers identity. I threw up a two fingers in the shape of a V to represent a smile. Simple signals like this had developed among the black armored rangers over the years in lieu of smiles or words because of both the helmets and the needed silence. The ranger responded with a similar V and motioned for me to give them the rope. I did so and turned and crouched sweeping the surrounding area with my rifle. The lookouts that I could see still hadn't noticed us for which I was thankful. I held my crosshairs on them as I heard the other rangers make their way up. Once the other two had inched up the rope I felt two fingers tap my shoulder and I turned around

then Chambers' voice issued out of his helmet at a barely audible whisper

"Okay kids this is the hard part, you know what's next, Vasquez wind up the grappling gun and hand it to me" While Vasquez took care of his chore Chambers measured the distance towards the wall of the Buffalo Bill casino.

"Dawes" Chambers whispered "How far do you think it is to the wall there?" I squinted through the my helmet at the wall.

"Maybe one hundred fifty meters sir" He continued to stare at the wall and placed his hands on his hips

"The hook is exactly one hundred fifty meters long" He paused for a moment,"If that thing falls it'll make a shit ton of noise... Okay Dawes and Thompson cover and legion guards you can see take the shot if necessary, Vasquez help me with the grappling gun." We moved to take care of his orders both Thompson and I put both our rifles on the opposite railing and found legionaries on crosshairs on them. They were standing in the second story of a storefront maybe four hundred and fifty yards away, it looked as if they were two prime legionnaires. I motioned to Thompson that I would cover the one on the right and she responded with a curt nod. I held my crosshairs on the legionnaire and waited for some kind of sound from Vasquez and Chambers. After holding my breath for a moment I snuck in a glance at them. They had lifted the gun and Chamber's finger clinched on the trigger of the gun, a large thump sounded from the tube and the hook shot out. They had aimed it a little high and I watched it's arc fall as it got closer and closer to the building. It hit the building and latched on to the outside of a window frame and hung there momentarily. A collective breath was sucked in by the whole group. The hook hung on the building and stuck. A predatory grin crossed my face. I'd assume that similar expressions crossed the faces of my teammates but I had no way of telling. Chambers whispered

"Okay kids this is the important part of the plan we're gonna shimmy on over, Dawes and Thompson you're gonna be on overwatch while Vasquez and I cross." We responded with a curt nod and raised our rifles. I stared toward the left side of building and Thompson took the left. I crouched waiting for any crimson to enter my field of view but nothing happened. I heard a slight coughing sound and flipped around to see Thompson's rifle buck in recoil. I stood up bringing my rifle to match her's, in my scope I found two legionnaires looking at the suddenly dead body of a third. I caressed the trigger of the hunting rifle and its cough matched the fall of the second legionnaire, Thompson's rifle coughed and the third legionnaire fell toward the ground leaving three rapidly cooling bodies in the nevada dust. I looked over at Thompson and she flashed a V over her helmet's face plate symbolizing a smile. I couldn't match her enthusiasm so I just nodded. I looked down my scope once more to observe the legion dead by my hand. I sent up a quick prayer and turned back to observe the right side of the building. Thankfully no legion were rounding that corner. I tore my vision away from the scope to find Vasquez shimmying across the rope he and I had to muffle a laugh. He looked like a rat scurrying across the ropes of ships I had seen on the pacific ocean in my early years as a ranger. Thompson glanced at him and I could hear a faint laugh come across the coms. I then heard Chambers voice come across the coms

"Kids focus up" his voice sounded stern "As fun as this is, we don't have the leisure to screw around, Dawes what's the kill count on this mission already?" his tone made it clear that this would be the last discussion on this mission

"Five Sir, my apologies" He responded with the voice of a teacher talking to a foolish child

'Exactly, point made, radio silence" I nodded and turned my eyes back to my scope no legion appeared and soon it was my time to cross the rope. Chambers motioned at me to cross and I looked down. The space between the ground and the rope was... daunting to say the least. I was never good with heights and this mission was beginning to test my limits with that particular fear. I gulped and I began to inch across the chasm that the rope made. While I was making my way along it a cold sweat began to pool at the small of my back not at all being helped by the warmth of the black armor. I slowly made my way across the rope feeling it sway and jump because of both my own weight and because of the wind. Every time I felt the rope sway I held in my breath being tortured by visions my mind conjured of me falling to meet the ground and my death. I finally made it to the window and the grappling hook. An arm extended into my vision and I looked up to find Chambers leaning out the window. I grasped his hand and was pulled into the window. It was darker in the building with no moonlight to illuminate the corridors. I reached up to the side of the helmet and flicked on my night vision. I smirked and whispered

"I was blind yet now I see." I think I might have been heard because Vasquez glanced over at me but there was no legion around so we were momentarily safe. I crouched down pulled my silenced .45 from its holster and stared back out the window. I saw Thompson staring at the rope and down to the grappling gun perplexed, I suddenly understood.I looked over at Chambers and I whispered relying on the helmets natural speakers instead of the radio

"Sir, how is Thompson going to get over here and bring that grappling gun with her" Chambers stared out the window placing his hands on his hips. He hissed

"Well shit" he stared at it a moment longer and brought his hand to the side of his helmet and keyed his radio "Thompson how you doing over there?" I peered through the darkness and she seemed to be coming to the same conclusion I was coming to.

"Sir" I whispered, Chambers didn't turn to look at me seeming to be enraptured with the issue of the wire. I keyed my radio hoping to get his attention "Sir!" he whirled around to face me. His voice issued out of his helmet: an exasperated whisper

"What?" He stared down at my crouched figure in the darkness. I kept silent for a moment contemplating my next words.

"She's gonna have to swing across, cut the gun itself off then hope for the best" He stood for a moment quietly deliberating. He huffed his shoulders up and breathed out a scant curse, he keyed his radio and relayed the plan to Thompson. I saw her posture shift she peered over the railing and look to the ground below. She shook her head then glanced back at us, she strung her rifle on her back, then took the rope in hand. I've been a ranger for a long while and I've seen a lot of impressive things, men practically run down sheer cliff faces while repelling and confirmed kill shots from half a mile or more, but what Thompson did next made my breath catch in my throat. She whipped out a knife hidden somewhere on her person and sawed through the wire connecting the gun to the building. When she was finished she was left holding a loose rope attached to the grappling hook. She stepped back trying to get as much of a running start as the narrow roller-coaster would allow her, she then coiled the rope in her hands,making it taught, she ran and leapt forward. Both Chambers and I were transfixed watching her insane and astounding flight while Vasquez was watching the hall. The grappling hook however was left unattended. Thompson's body embraced the empty air. My eyes alighted on the grappling hook and shot wide in fear. As I watched Thompson fall I quickly realized that the rotted window sill could never support the weight about to fall on it. I shot forward, my hand searching for the hook, I made contact and grabbed it pulling it close. No later had I grabbed it than Thompson's weight hit the hook in force. I was yanked toward the sill and my arms were pulled taught. Even though my hands were on it gravity had the upper hand my boot heels dragged through the moldy carpet until they struck the dry wall. My forearms screamed as I tried to keep my friend from falling to her death. I felt the impact of her body on the wall of the casino travel up the rope as Chambers grabbed the rope along side me. We stood there straining for a moment before he coughed out

"Pull on three" I grunted my ascent and we began to haul Thompson up. She made it easier climbing as we pulled and eventually we had the whole contingent in the legion casino. I pulled the rope into the building and tied it off around my torso. I crouched and peered into the darkness of the hallway. I looked up to Chambers who motioned us down the hallway. We had little tactical information on the layout of the casino just a general and vague understanding of the floor plan. We crept through the lightless halls anticipating the first true contact. I kept my silenced .45 up waiting for anything to come into my sights. We crept around the upper floors for fifteen minutes not encountering a single soul I was begging to become apprehensive until we came to the stairs. There seemed to be some sort of ramshackle barricade, but what alerted me first was the smell of spilt blood. The air was rank with it. There were no more bodies but from the positioning of the blood, the shell casings and the broken barricade I guessed that someone had tried to make a stand at the top floor of the building. Strangely enough there was dynamite littering the floor and among the trash and the wreckage I could see a few lighters. I looked at Vasquez who squatted down to place a hand on the dynamite he was about to pick one stick up when we heard a voice echo up the stairway I couldn't quite make out the words but they sounded like 'Ave true to Caesar, true to Lanius.' All four of us immediately tightened our grip on then guns and pointed them down the stairwell. We stood for a moment ready to tear holes in anyone who came into our view, when the momentary tension had passed Chambers ushered us away from the stairs back down the hall to speak. He spoke softly

"Dawes, you take Vasquez down that stairway and pear around and tell me what you see I'm gonna try to think of a plan, I think Aurelius of Phoenix is in this building somewhere, its where I would set up." I quickly nodded and then motioned to Vasquez and we proceeded down the hallway. Thankfully the ancient carpet muffled our footsteps to some degree and we were able to creep down the stairwell. Once we had went down a floor I was able to see some light seep from the hallway the stairs emptied into. I slid up to the side of the stairs and pulled a small mirror out of my pocket, Vasquez's head cocked questioningly and I held up on finger. I edged the pocket mirror out into the hallway searching for any crimson. I didn't find any and I poked my head out to look the other way and I saw the edge of a crimson cloak and I jerked my head back. I slid up to the opposite wall and used the mirror trick one more time. This time I was able to get my eyes on two praetorian guards standing at a door. The door had a bull painted in red on it. I easied the mirror back and tucked it into my pocket. Since we had just heard the guards sound off, adding Lanius to their usual mindless salute I was guessing a ranking officer had just passed them. I turned to Vasquez and motioned for us to return up the stairs. We crept back up trying to remain silent until we reached Chambers. He looked at me expectantly and I informed him of what I had just seen. He nodded seeming to digest the information pondering how to kill our target and stay inside the mission parameters chief of which was time. He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at us

"Okay kids we're gonna have to go out on a bang here, its gonna be daytime soon and we need to get moving, praetorians are tough bastards and we can't afford to get into a slugging fest with them. We need to think of a way to get the praetorians and Aurelius" I briefly thought for a moment and voiced my concerns

"Sir, do we even know if it is in fact Aurelius here and if so is he even in this building" Chambers nodded briefly contemplating the questions and nhe evenly answered

"First no, but we know a commander is here waiting for us to come back through Mojave outpost and I'm fairly certain that they have a set up like this in nipton, but that's above my pay grade, and even if it's not Aurelius we can take out a high level target here, if its not him in that room he'll show up and we can kill our way through the town until we find him." I nodded understanding it would be a long day if it came down to that, I hoped Aurelius was there. I thought for a moment more and followed with one more question.

"Okay, there's two praetorians outside and I'm assuming two more inside or at least the target who will be tuff on his own count so that makes a large butchers bill, what's the plan?" Chambers made a sound that I could only assume was his teeth grinding on one another

"Thats what Im trying to figure out, but we don't have many options" We all stood there for a moment thinking wondering how it would be easiest to take out these slimy bastards that were only a floor below us. When I started thinking about this and how Chambers had said we needed to go out with a bang. My eyes alighted on Vasquez and an idea made it's way into my mind. I looked at Chambers and started to speak, a wolf's grin on my face the whole time

"Sir I think I have an idea."


	11. Chapter 11

It took us roughly half an hour to execute my plan and by the time it was done we had planted two sticks of dynamite cut into four sections in our floor hoping to bust through to the office of the target, hopefully Aurelius. The real issue came in the placement of the dynamite. The room over the office wasn't even one single room but the bath room of one and the bedroom of another. I had to cannibalize several sticks of dynamite to make a string long enough to connect the individual strings and even punched a hole in the decrepit drywall but by then I had constructed a vertical doorknocker from hell. After I had readied the surprise for the legion I pocketed one more stick of dynamite just in case. I met the rest of the squad far back from the stairwell and the dynamite. I looked at Chambers and he gave me the go-ahead to direct this phase. I started to speak directing just how I wanted to control the chaos

"Okay I'll be the one doing the blasting and I want you three to be at the bottom of the stairs ready to rush in. I can stand at the top of the hole I intend to blow and shoot at anything moving in the crater." They all nodded and Chambers slapped me on the shoulder and nodded before proceeding down the hall. I went to the hall outside the bathroom and bedroom and waited, Chambers keyed his mike and I flicked on of the lighters. I touched it to the frankenstein fuse of the dynamite watched the fire catch. It held my eyes for a moment then I remembered that it was going to send me into a million pieces if I didn't move my ass so I scrambled back into the cover of an adjacent doorway. It was about ten more seconds until the explosion rocked me off my feet. I pulled myself up readied my .45 then got to business. The dynamite had tore an impressive hole in the floor and wreckage was scattered all throughout the room which I could now see was infact an office. A form covered by floor boards and dust was beginning to stir, I raised my pistol and started to squeeze the trigger. My finger was about to send a .45 bullet into what I assume was Aurelius when I heard a board crack under my weight.I felt my feet go out from under me as gravity yanked me earthwards. I began to fall but not before I pulled the trigger. but my fall sent the bullet into the wall across from the figure. My pistol went flying and landed somewhere hidden by the wreckage. I landed square on top of a dust and debris coated desk smashing it in half under my weight. I was trying to pull myself out of the desk when I saw Aurelius rise to his full height. We had never had any pictures of him but we knew he was an arizona native and by his skin I guessed that he was hispanic. He was a giant of a man easily six and a half feet tall, all of the leaders of the legion were impressive physical specimens but he was brute. He coughed and looked down at me. I tried to extricate myself out of the desk but the rope I had slung across my chest had me pinned. I grabbed my knife and began to cut it. Aurelius looked down at me and coughed out

"You behold the armor of a Centurion. You have the rare honor of beholding it unspattered by the blood of my inferiors. But it shall not stay that way for long." A guttural growl escaped his throat and he charged me. I had managed to pull myself out of the desk and I was on my feet when he slapped my hand which caused me to drop the knife I had planned to kill him then swiped at my ribs with what felt like deathclaw claws, I would later realize he had collected the dogtags of my brothers and made a weapon out of them. The blow threw me off my feet and I landed on the floor, the rope still in my hands. The crazy bastard literally jumped into the air hoping to land on me and force his fist through my face. I rolled out of the way without a second to spare his fist made a crunching sound when it hit the floor cracking the floorboards. I jumped to my feet my side heaving and my left hand still encased in rope. Aurelius looked at me and a smile slithering across his lips, roaring again he charged and swiped at my head, he was big and immensely strong but I was just quick enough to escape the pile driver of his fist. I rolled to the side and dealt him a glancing blow on the knee which dropped him to a kneeling position. He jumped back up almost immediately and we began to fight to the sound of the rest of my squad in combat with the praetorians in the hallway. I watched the way he moved when we began to circle, he was lithe and strong as a bull, I didn't trust myself to take him when I was unarmed. He lunged toward me and abruptly his chest lurched. It seemed as if a bullet from the fight from the hall had pierced his chest and it halted him for a moment. He coughed out blood and his eyes found me once again, a new fire seemed to burn in them, he was beginning to die and he had decided to take me to hell with him. He swung at me even faster this time as if the hate in his eyes sped his fist toward me. This time he hit me but I kept on my feet and I managed to get a swipe at him. I hit him in the stomach and I could see blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. I leaned right to avoid his next punch which impacted the drywall I was standing in front of. While he was trying to pull his dogtag encrusted fist out of the drywall when I stepped past him so I was behind his back. Blood was beginning to stain his crimson cloak a deeper red. I had no weapons both my gun and my knife lost during the fight. An idea came to my mind and I placed my rope encased fist at the hollow of his throat I snaked my other hand around his head grabbing the rope to form a rudimentary garrote. He realized what was happening as soon as his air flow began to choke off. He began to trash back and forth freeing his fist from the wall but I held fast wrestling him to face the doorway protecting me from further bullets. I put my foot in the small of his back pushing in deeper into the garrote. His hands reached behind his head searching for my face, his fingernails scraped the sides of my helmet. It created a strange echo on the inside of the helmet which I still hear when I try to sleep. The sound of fighting had stopped in the hall and I heard the suppressors giving the customary double tap. I stood there glaring at the top of Aurelius's head while the struggle in his arms started to cease. Usually it takes a solid six to seven minutes to asphyxiate but I guess the hole in Aurelius's back sped up the process. While I was in the process of choking the life from his body my eyes found both my pistol and my knife. When his body went completely limp I threw him to the floor and I saw the rest of my squad staring at me through the doorway into the hall. I couldn't see their faces but I assumed they wore expressions ranging from impressed to horrified. I walked across the room and picked up my gun strode back to Aurelius, palcing my body inbetween my friends and the legion commander, I then put a bullet in his skull. Blood spattered my coat. I turned to face my squad and saw that there were at least ten more legion bodies on the floor, the quickest to die must have been awoken by the blast just as I realized this, the ranger standing in the middle of the trio crumpled to the floor. I rushed over and tore of the helmet and saw it was Chambers

"Sir" I asked "Are you okay, did you get hit" I ran my eyes over his body searching for any wounds and found one in the side of his stomach. An angry red bullet hole seeped blood onto the carpet. The bullet had snuck through a soft spot in the pre-war armor. I glanced up to Thompson and Vasquez and barked

"A Stimpack, med-x anything" I turned my eyes back to Chambers who was gritting his teeth and he spat blood onto the already soggy carpet. A stimpak and bandages were thrust at me and I began to try to save my commanders life. My mind flashed back to Speight and I ground my teeth down and started to bandage Chambers. He looked up at me let out a sigh and he passed out. I looked up at Thompson and Vasquez and barked out

"Search the bodies look for any medical supplies anything that might be of use" They immediately went to work and turned up some buffout and two doses of radaway. I grabbed the buffout and forced to into his mouth and tilted his head back but he didn't swallow, I grabbed a canteen off my belt unscrewed the cap and brought it to Chamber's lips. I tilted his head back and watched as his adam's apple bobbed and the buffout when down, hopefully that along with the stimpack would control the bleeding. I hefted his comatose form to his feet and motioned to Vasquez and Thompson to carry him. I pulled my pistol and and grabbed Chambers gun a ranger sequoia going akimbo down the hallway. I crouched to my knees and spoke backwards all the while keeping my guns pointed to where the stairs met the hall.

"This is where things start getting hard, we're gonna have to get out of here really quick and hopefully not be seen by anyone, so...so" Thats when I was a shadow begin to enter the hall followed a moment later by a crimson clad body. I squeezed the trigger of my .45 and the inside of the legionnaires neck exited the other side onto the wall.

"Okay we've gotta get out of here and the way we came in isn't gonna work" I thought for a moment my mind racing we only had so many ways to get out of here and options were decreasing by the minute

"We can leave out the front but we'd ask for too much fire" An idea alighted in my mind and I smiled the same wolf smile as earlier. I quickly conversed with my squad and we began to make our way down the stairway. Thankfully the legionnaire that came up the stairs seemed to be the quickest and we didn't encounter any in the stairwell. When we got to the lobby that changed. I gently opened the door and looked left out into the lobby, I didn't see any of them but I could hear them in the mess hall to our left they were waking up and forming ranks. I motioned to Thompson and she handed me a grenade from her belt. I edged up to the doorway into the mess hall popped the pin and tossed it in. The grenade shattered their post-sleep world as well as their bodies. We ran into the cafeteria and I opened fire on anyone still standing. The .45 coughed like a sick cat but the ranger sequoia in my left hand let loose with a booming roar sending anyone it hit straight to the ground. The mess hall was clear with at least ten bodies on the ground, I hadn't had all too much cleaning to do but the legionnaires coming from the front now knew that there was a serious battle going on. I could hear their footsteps coming at an even faster pace. Thompson and Vasquez set chambers down then Thompson came to help me hold off the legionnaires while Vasquez secured our exit. Our part of the casino was dark any lights destroyed by the grenade but the lobby where the legionnaires were spilling out was fully lit. Positioned on either side of the door Thompson and I began to open fire. When the first crimson cloaked body fell to the ground, felled by my silenced .45, it startled the group of Legionnaires but then as Thompson opened fire with a 12.7mm submachine gun she grabbed, the legion began to realize what was happening. They scrambled for cover and began to fire on us in turn. Thankfully their sleep addled bodies proved to be inaccurate and Thompson and we were able to pick off a few more. But we didn't need to kill all of them only buy ourselves some more time. The sound of freedom surprisingly enough was the explosion of another stick of dynamite. It was the one I had saved for good luck, and thank god I had, Vasquez had planted it in the ancient drywall in the south facing wall of the casino blowing a hole into the open air. The legion had realized what was happening by now and their accuracy and determination began to increase, with interest. As their bullets chipped off drywall and plaster flew in my face I screamed over to Thompson

"Throw another frag I'll cover you!" I squeezed off a few blind shots with the .45 hoping to suppress the legionnaires. She did as asked and the explosion of the grenade gifted us with a dew moment of silence. I quickly reloaded both pistols and stepped fully out into the bullet riddled doorway. I shot till my guns were dry, just like bitter springs, but this time I made sure to carefully select my shots putting a legionnaire down with each round. The cat cough of the .45 and the roar of the sequoia echoed through the lobby to the sound of legion bodies hitting the floor. Evidently the grenade hadn't had the effect I wanted it too and bullets began to search for my body. I felt a few tug at my coat and one even scored a new mark in my helmet. I answered each of those bullets with lethal force. I looked over to Thompson and screamed moving back into cover

"Get to Chambers and Vasquez, I'll hold them off!" I tossed her the sequoia, it being empty and only useful to pistol whip. She gabbed Chamber's pistol then ducked and rolled over the various tables and debris scattered throughout the room making her way to the other two rangers. I ran and slid under an upright table coming erect behind a flipped one to its right I unslung my rifle and scanned for targets that had replaced the legionnaires we had just dispatched. They hung back in the part of the lobby I couldn't see scared by the dual grenades that spattered their crimson a darker shade. They hung back and I eased back toward the hole in the wall. I decided to tease at least one out of cover and I feigned a shout

"I'm reloading!" Normally the decision to come out would have been a clever even a tactical one but a decanus poked his head out and lost it in the space of two seconds. But that left the others to learn from his mistake. I made a slow and steady backtrack to the gaping hole, I fired off a few suppressive rounds until my feet touched desert hardpan. I quickly turned to see Vasquez and Thompson making their way across the desert lit by the early morning light. I turned back to the hornet's nest in front of me the legion already advancing at me. I fired the rest of the shots in the ten round magazine reloaded and ran after my friends. They got to the hole not long after we began running and started opening fire at me, their bullets began kicking up dust all around me. I ran behind a rock large enough to cover me and I jammed my fingers against my headset calling Thompson and Vasquez.

"Carry on ahead, get to Mojave, I'll take care of the rest back here, see you at home" All I heard in response was a quick double click of someone's radio, but I knew that they were aware. I spent the rest of the morning playing cat and mouse with the legion. Half of the time I wasn't sure who was the cat and who was the mouse. I managed to take more of them down but they got licks of their own I was tagged in the left leg and a bullet even impacted my left deltoid. The riot gear helped my deltoid a little but I could still feel the bite of the bullet, maybe it pierced skin and my leg had no armor at all. I was even thrown flat on my back taking a shot in the side of my stomach, the riot gear saved my life but I definitely had a cracked rib or two. When I got up and started limping away it felt like three or four broken ribs but I continued on. I managed to make it to a distance where the legion either didn't see me or didn't care about me anymore but I was still leaking blood all over the sand.


	12. Chapter 12

I eventually stopped at a police station on the side of the highway. It was an old wreck of a building with the wrecks of three cruisers out front and the bodies of some gang littered around it. I trudged to the front door my body aching from the fight with Aurelius and the various wounds I had earned fighting the legion and a cut from a radscorpion I had met during my escape. My eyes registered what was written on the door and a hoarse laugh escaped my lips. 'Fuck you' was scrawled across the front door in green paint I pushed open the door muttering

"Sure does feel like that doesn't it" there wasn't much light in the building but I could see blood stains from some previous battle and the husks of large insects. I made my way to the back of the station and I began to bandage myself up.I first had to take off all of my armor,my pants and my boots to be really able to take care of myself.I first went to the bathroom and searched the first aid box, but someone had already gotten to it. At least the cool floor felt good on my feet walking back to me gear. I had one med x on hand and I injected that into my deltoid. I let loose a long sigh at the numbing sensation that it gifted me with. I rummaged In my gear looking for anything else, I had nothing but bullets. I sighed and leaned back enjoying my medicated euphoria for a moment. After what seemed like far too short of a time I got up and put my armor back on, sending up a prayer of thanks that no one had walked in on me. I pushed the front door open and the desert light speared me in the eyes it was mid day or maybe even one in the afternoon. I began making my way back to Mojave outpost I knew it was ten or some odd miles from Primm but I had little idea of how long the trail in front of me was. I it took me four hours to make my way across the hardpan floor of the desert and by the time I was at the hill leading up to mojave, my canteen was dry. While I was gone the NCR had been busy all the bodies had been rounded up and apparently set on fire, if I had more energy I might have been disgusted.I used the car husks to pull my aching body up the hill and I was startled when I heard a voice call out

"Eagle! Respond or I will shoot" I was surprised that we had initiated call signs at the foot of our nation. The order rang out again and I finally found who was shouting at me. He was a young man maybe early twenties, he was hiding behind a rock pile to the left of the road. He leveled his weapon at me and I regarded him for a moment. I called back to him

"Fuck you, that's my callsign, look at me" I gestured up and down my body now more brownish red than black "You know I'm NCR, I'm gonna go up the hill and if you shot make it a good one" He stared at me for a moment, spit on the ground, then returned to his rock pile. I continued up the hill until I came to the very top. The soldiers in the sandbags looked up at me surprised. I nodded toward them and reentered the New California Republic. I caught some side long glances walking through the old brahmin pen but nobody bothered enough to ask. I walked into the command building not bothering to kick any dust off my boots but I did take off my helmet. I pushed open the door. Now the building was fully ordered with no clutter or anything out of order. Major Knight stood at the front desk and his eyebrows shot up when he saw me come through the door.

"Dawes, you look horrible, but Im glad you made it, The word was that you stayed behind to kill the legion" I only had energy to respond having been drained by the march through the desert heat.

"Well I'm alive and worse for the wear, could you repair my gear, it's a little beaten" He nodded and then let out a chortle of laughter as I began to take of my armor and trench coat. He then said, a brief smile crossing his face,

"Thats not what I expected but I'll take care of it for you." I handed him the gear leaving myself left in a outfit normally seen on mercenary grunts. My rifle was slung over my back and only one of the dual shoulder holsters was occupied. I started to walk back to the office but was stopped by Franks and the other bodyguard. His voice issued out of his helmet

"Weapons" He held out his paw of a fist before I could enter. I unslung my rifle and handed him my .45 before saying

"And here I was starting to miss you" He didn't even acknowledge my remark just stepped aside to let me pass. I let out a snort of laughter devoid of any real humor. I walked to the office and pushed open the door I forgot to knock, either from lack of health or lack of caring, I'm not sure which. Jessica whipped around to face me hand holding some little hold out pistol she had hidden on her. Her eyes were furious for a moment, I thought she might actually shoot me, but then she said

"Next time it would be prudent to knock lieutenant" She turned around to face her computer. I lamely offered

"Reporting in Ma'am, mission accomplished, Aurelius is dead, I confirmed the kill." She responded not even turning around from her computer

"I am aware lieutenant the rest of your squad reported in, if this operation goes well you may be rewarded for your valor" I raised my eyes at this but said nothing, I continued to linger for a moment until she spoke again

"That is all Lieutenant you are dismissed" I saluted and headed back out the door. I walked toward Franks and motioned for my weapons back. He looked down on me for a moment and shoved the weapons into my hands saying

"You're not as funny as you think Dawes" I couldn't see his eyes but I imagined them to be slate gray containing no life. I nodded and said then said in the mock voice of a child

"Im sorry Franks" pronouncing it sowwy "Please forgive me. He made no response but I did see his fist clench. I promptly turned on my heel and walked out of the building. As I made my way down the long 15 I began to feel just how bone tired I was. My boots crunched against the gravel as came to the medical tent. I opened the tent flap oddly enough I was greeted with cheers

"Dawes we thought you were dead!" As my eyes adjusted to the dim interior I made out Thompson and Vasquez as they toward me. I gripped Vasquez's hand shaking it and I gave Thompson a hug. I realized why they were in the tent when my eyes settled on Chambers. He looked better than I did only in the respect that he was covered in dust and spattered blood. He was too pale and he was comatose so we wouldn't be talking.I waved doctors off as they recounted me on what happened since we split up and I did the same for them. I was very impressed that they had managed to carry Chambers the whole way under the rising desert sun. Thankfully though they had and we had all managed to make it back. I finally let the doctors tend to me, they eventually put me into a bed and I fell to a deep sleep. But I dreamed, I saw Aurelius's face devoid of oxygen and the aftermath of the grenades.


	13. Chapter 13

I woke up that evening to the sound of sound of deep breathing that only the wounded make. I tried to pull myself out of the bed but I had too many things hooked to me and into me. I began to rip pads off, but various doctors and nurses rushed over to me. I was reproachfully slapped on the hand by a nurse the doctor looked at my chart and said

"Now Jason is that really what you need to be doing" My teeth grated at the treatment and I quickly retorted

"No what I need to be doing is getting out of and getting back to work, there's a war on if you hadn't noticed" The doctor looked at me with an admonishing frown and replied

"Yes I did and that's why I'm fixing your broke ass, now sit down so I can pull out your iv, if you do it yourself you'd manage to rip out your veins" I let out a half laugh half grumble of frustration and sat back on the bed. As he was working I could tell that he was a professional and that he was actually helping me instead of trying to pacify me as doctors often do. I relented and asked him his name

"I'm Doctor Dewitt, its a pleasure to meet you" I shook his outstretched hand and got out of the bed when he motioned for me to do so. He looked at my chart before he continued

"You got pretty tore up out there, wherever that was, we bandaged and repaired your deltoid and your vastus lateralis" He continued to ramble off the names of various medical damages and their healing processes. When he was done he looked up at me expectantly, I didn't understand any of his jargon but I did thank him. He nodded and left to tend to the rest of his patients. I flexed my arm and found it surprisingly responsive. It brought an honest smile to my face. I looked down my watch it read nine thirty at night well after sunset. I began to make my way out of the tent but I was stopped by a weak voice calling my name. I turned around and saw Chambers feebly reaching toward me. I rushed over pulling a stool over so I could listen to him.

"Yes sir" I asked. He gave me a wan grin before answering

"I just wanted to say thank you" he paused as if the words were a great effort "Bullet nicked my lung, damn lucky I didn't die thank you for that and thank you for saving my pistol" He paused for a moment a man considering fates.

"I want" He paused again considering what choice he was making "I want you to have it, I think I finally got the million-dollar wound" I asked him if he really meant it, he said yes and shoved the ornate and powerful weapon into my hand. I solemnly nodded my head and then frowned and said

"This is for twenty years of service?" He smiled and answered

"I come from a military family, I signed on when I was sixteen and I saw my first real combat when General Kimball, still a general mind you, 'pacified'" he made air quotes around that "Bullhead city, it was a crazy time" I stayed quiet waiting for him to continue. He grinned at me, he continued speaking about his time in the service and his days as a ranger. He talked for nearly half an hour and I sat and listened. In all honesty he did have some interesting stories but I think the telling of the stories was more therapeutic for him than anything. He was a proud and distinguished soldier who, due to no fault of his own, had to hang up guns at least for this part of the war. A nicked lung was no joke and it spoke words to his endurance that he had survived the trip back to Mojave outpost. When he finished he stopped to look at a clock

"Good lord its nearly twenty-two hundred, why have you been listening to me for this long, you've got things to do" I nodded and smiled offering my hand to shake, it took it and pumped my hand then I thanked him saying

"Thank you very much sir, I'll put it to good use" He grinned and let go of my hand and jauntily sketched a salute. I stood up straight, my back a solid line, and repaid the gesture but doing it in all seriousness. He grinned again and gestured for me to leave. I exited the tent and put the sequoia in my right holster where my left hand could reach it with ease. Before I put it there the inscription on the barrel caught my eyes. The moonlight shone of the barrel as I read 'For Honorable Service' and 'Against All Tyrants'. I put it securely in the right holster and headed off into the night to see had become of the NCR. The camp was alive with new recruits, as I walked around I heard them talking of how many kills they'd get, what'd it'd be like walking into to the strip, how they personally would put the legate on a cross. I shook my head at the bravado, no matter who came out the winner of this new war it would be standing on a mound of corpses. I briefly contemplated what to do with my time, I could sit with the green recruits or go to bar in the outbuilding of the outpost but neither of those seemed right. I eventually found myself in the command building in some vague sense of practicality. I realized that my wandering mind had brought me here for a variety of reasons, first to retrieve my armor and second to assuage the apprehensive feeling I got when waiting for my next assignment. I pushed open the doors and began to speak with Knight,

"You know Dawes" he said "Normally repairs like this would cost an arm and a leg, guy used to come through here not too long ago with gear and damage like yours and I made tons of caps off him." I responded dryly

"I guess I finally found a benefit of being in the army" He grinned and handed my gear. I was honestly surprised "Knight, this looks like it's brand new, how'd you manage to find the time to do this" He responded but in a low tone

"General Stone has whipped this place into shape, everyone is right on time with everything and I barely need to play mother to anyone so I had some extra time to take care of your gear" I nodded and shook his hand thanking him for his work. I stepped outside and went around to the courtyard to put my gear back on. Whenever I'm in an environment like that of the Mojave and I don't have my armor on for extended periods of time I get nervous. I could vaguely feel it creeping up on me all evening but having the riot gear and duster on calmed my nerves. Usually armoring up is better with two people to snap that hard to reach latches and buttons on the armor but I had been doing it for so long it didn't take me too long. I neglected to put the helmet saying under my breath

"All the better to see you with my dear" and went back to the command building. I saw the hulking form of my old friend Franks and I had my weapons out for him saying

"Do we really need to fear assassins here Franks, I mean we're all friends right?" His helmeted face stared at me blankly, he said nothing and I passed on by him to the office. My hand was on the knob when my mind conjured to image of the little holdout pistol in my face and I rapped my knuckles on the frosted glass door. I heard several voices call you for me to come in and I pushed open the door. Looking around the room there had obviously been a staff meeting call among all the officers, I was passed out in the infirmary tent. Deja vu stuck me as Hsu said

"Dawes good to see you up and on your feet, take a seat" I did as he asked but this time I was able to pull up an actual chair. I did exactly that, putting my helmet on the table I began to listen. The basic argument was either to take the long 15 into vegas then to the dam or highway 95 to the dam then to vegas. They talked incessantly about the tactical advantages of either plan I only listened being the lowest ranking officer present in the room. Stone sat in the middle of the discussion, which bordered on chaos, her fingers steepled. Her brow was furrowed and her eyes looked like a storm. The bickering when on until she shoot up and shouted

"SILENCE!" She stood there for a moment shoulders heaving "I've had enough of this bickering, unbeknownst to most of you I've had scouts in the mojave" There were some surprised grunts around the table and I realized that Stone's assassination missions was hers and hers alone. "The legion has taken both Primm and Nipton, there are slaves in Primm but Nipton is only full of legion. I've had Aurelius of Phoenix killed when he was in Primm and I had Gaius Magnus killed in Nipton. Magnus cost me four rangers." The surprised noises came to a halt as everyone's attention centered on her. She cast an even glare around the table "There's only so many ways to win back the mojave and President Kimball has personally told me that, that" she thrust a pointed finger toward a window "is the goal, now we need to quit screwing around, I've listened to your council and I've decided we're taking I-15 into vegas then we take the dam." She said it as a statement of fact as if nothing could go wrong. The various officers looked around the table saying nothing. She continued "The plan of action is to move in five days time first we take Primm then we move too Goodsprings and then we take vegas, I've pulled out all the stops for this one gentlemen we have trucks, we have mortars, we have a few vertibirds and we have as many troops as I could muster." She made it sounds as if she personally recruited everyone of them, I didn't doubt it. She continued to rattle off facts and statistics but the only thing I could think was if she had brought enough body bags. After a little more deliberation the meeting let out with all the officers being told to ready their men. As we all began to file out I heard Jessica call out my name as well as Gorobets. I caught his eyes and raised mine in question, he shrugged and we turned around to face Jessica. She stood facing the window hands locked behind her back. She turned and wrapped her finger on the large meeting desk in between us then placed two small open boxes roughly the size of those that would hold rings. They both contained the rank tabs of a captain

"Gentlemen, you are both being promoted to the rank of captain from lieutenant, Gorobets for your exemplary leadership and Dawes for valor under duress Captain Gorobets you may return to your men, Captain Dawes I need to speak with you still" Gorobets took the tabs admiring them while he penned them to his uniform then nodded to us both and left. She spoke again turning to face the window"Captain Dawes, since Chambers has been taken out of the action, you will be taking over his position, you are going to command special tasks group Leray, we will be coordinating heavily for" she paused "the more delicate parts of my plan, it's taken a while to get back on our feet but with the veterans finally making their way here from Baja you will but in command of 12 ranger veterans broken into six teams of two." I was surprised to say the least, I had never been in any real command positions she broke my concentration by continuing "Your men will be arriving shortly, and you already have Thompson and Vasquez, see to readying an area for them." With that she dismissed me, I grabbed my helmet, retrieved my guns from Franks and stepped out into the Mojave night. I would have put the tab on my dress uniform but that was lost when the legion made their push so I pocketed it and continued walking. I headed down to the camps to see if I could find the the members of special tasks group Leray. I made my way through the tent encampment looking for anyone I knew, stories had gotten around since I came back and of course rumors had spread so I got some strange looks here and there. And of course the black armor gained me some immediate respect.I returned the hunting rifle not needing it in the camp. I continued to walk aimlessly then oddly enough I heard singing and I saw figures shadow dancing in the fire light. I rounded a tent and saw a large fire burning, there were roughly ten people dancing around it. Someone was singing big iron to a guitar, I had heard it on the radio once or twice and I had enjoyed it. In my younger days I had even fancied myself the ranger going after texas red. The dancers were all part of the new blood full of vigor and ready for the fight. I looked around the circle and found Thompson and Vasquez lingering at the fringes attracted by the merriment but lacking the buoyancy required to join in. I walked over to them and steered them to the side. I walked them to picnic table and sat down. Vasquez looked at me frowning and asked

"What's going Lieutenant" I smiled at them both before I spoke

"Well actually it Captain now" I flashed the tab I pulled from my pocket. They both gave me appreciative claps and asked what for. I explained that Chambers was out of action and they needed someone to fill in his shoes. I also told them about special tasks group Leray. They became suddenly more interested in that. Thompson's green eyes found mine and I could swear they contained a smile

"So Sir, does that mean I'll be under you" I sat there for a moment working my jaw trying not to smile while Vasquez chortled. I smiled answering

"You and eleven other rangers Thompson" She leaned back and laughed. It was a subtle pleasure to hear. Maybe we had that buoyant spirit after all. We continued talking into the night, instead of recounting kills as Vasquez had done earlier we talked about different things from our lives, I talked about the farms, I didn't mention Jessica though. Vasquez talked about the mamasitas from baja and we all laughed. Thompson talked about growing up as a farm girl, her excellent shooting stemmed from that. We the fire and the dancing died down we began to call it a night. I told them to report to me in the morning and we would begin to set up an actual site for special tasks group Leray. I still felt somewhat out of place in the tent encampment surrounded by too many naïve bodies. I made my way back up the hill to the old standby of the boulder in the courtyard. I dropped behind the boulder and slung out of my shoulder holsters putting both pistols at an easy reaching distance. I set an alarm for sunrise on my watch giving myself a few hours of sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

The sound of footsteps woke me up during the night. I had to once again force my fingers to let go of the pistols. I laid there for a moment waiting for my ears to pick up more noise. I heard a boot crunch on the gravel and someone let out a breath. This time I grabbed the pistols and quietly levered myself out of the hollow behind the rock. I slowly leaned out from behind the rock. I saw a figure standing in the dark looking around. Then I heard a voice call my name

"Dawes you around here?" It was female so it couldn't be legion. I rested the pistols by my side and and whispered still confused by sleep

"Who's that?" The figure answers turning to look at the dark spot where I was crouching.

"Its Cassidy" She stood there a little awkwardly as I shrugged into my shoulder holsters and put the guns away. I hoped she didn't see my guns pointed at her. I walked over to her barely able to make out her face in the desert moonlight. She looked up at me the moonlight hitting her face before she murmured

"I couldn't sleep" she paused looking up at the moon "There's something I needed to ask you." She looked up at me but the sound of gunfire broke the paused for a moment waiting to see if it continued then what sounded like a full fire fight broke out. I crouched to the dusty floor of the courtyard and spoke quickly to Thompson

"Shit, go get Vasquez, and grab me a rifle." She nodded, put her helmet on and broke into a run. I did the same but toward the sound of the firefight putting my helmet on as I ran. The commotion was coming from the soldiers who were dug in around the statues. They were firing into the night, but I couldn't tell at what. I stared into the night looking for an targets, that was when a bullet whipped past my face. I dropped onto the desert floor and belly crawled to a foxhole. I slid next to one of the soldiers and screamed

"What in the hell is going on here?" He stopped firing and ducked down to answer me. Through his shouting and the gunfire I was able to make out that it was a legion explorer party, roughly ten. The gunfire ceased. I heard someone call out

"They're running, we scared them off" A collective cheer went up from the soldiers but the only thing running through my mind was 'shit,shit,shit.' The soldiers didn't think the same way I did, what they saw as a victory I saw as a defeat waiting to happen. If the legion withdrew that meant that they would be able to report back on what they saw here. Casting a glance backwards I saw the light the tent encampment was producing, not enough to be seen miles away but you could tell there was a lot of people from where I was standing. I cursed, vaulted over the sandbags and followed the legion into the mojave night. I ran down the slope vaguely hearing the cries of the soldiers behind me. I pulled out both of my pistols mentally cursing myself for not having a rifle. I flicked on my night vision and proceed to hunt. I made my way down the hill in a steady crouch. It was dead of night and then moon was only throwing a little light onto the desert floor. I could vaguely see a shape up ahead in the inky blackness of the night. It was a legion explorer crouching behind a car frame waiting to kill any pursuers. I pulled my .45 and lined up a shot. I sent up a quick prayer for accuracy and for absolution. I lined up his chest and was about to pull the trigger when his head exploded. I whipped my head around facing the sound of the gunshot. Thompson stood there rifle smoking. She and Vasquez were right behind me ready to track the legion down. Thompson tossed me a rifle and I had a moment to appreciate it. It was a sniper rifle, it was finely made maybe by the gun runners, it had a suppressor and even a carbon fiber frame. I grinned under my helmet and keyed my mike quickly

"Okay Leray, this is a search and destroy mission, there's legion out there and we need to stop them from reporting in, spread out and engage" The only response I got was a double click of the mike by both of them and we loped into the desert. We eventually saw the legion at about two hundred yards out, they had regrouped around a small dilapidated gas station. I used hand signals and the group fanned out about fifty meters between us. I had a sniper and I knew Thompson had one so I would assume Vasquez had one as well. I did a little quick math and that made fifteen rounds between us. There were eight explorers both in and around the station. I keyed my mike and whispered to my squad

"Okay we're gonna have to go about this smart, Vasquez I want you to head around to the north side. Thompson and I will open fire and that will funnel them north, move out and shoot straight" Vasquez pulled himself out of the dust and did a low run through the desert avoiding legion eyes. Thompson and I watched him run before returning our eyes to our rifle scopes. We lined up our shots waiting for Vasquez to get into position. I surveyed the gas station noting positions and conditions. I panned my rifle scope over the door of the station when it opened. I kept my vision there as a decanus strode out and began to speak to his men. I vaguely wondered if he was leading his own special tasks group. He barked out orders to them, pointed a finger upward and wrung his hand in a circle. They were going to pull out. I pressed my finger to my radio and quickly radioed Vasquez

"They're pulling out, its now or never, get ready to fire, wait for my shot then fire at will" I heard four clicks of the mike, two for Vasquez, two for Thompson. I lined up the feathered head of the decanus, silently looked up to the stars and pulled the trigger. The decanus's head crumpled then his body hit the desert floor and his comrades started with a brief shocked amazement. Then the legionnaires began to run like startled mole rats. After I opened fire Thompson and Vasquez followed suit, the legion didn't have far to run, it was over in under a minute, we were all good shots. After we had finished we jogged across the desert floor to make sure all of them were dead. The snipers were made well and only one had survived. He was crawling through the sandy dirt, his spine must have been hit because he was only using his forearms grabbing the earth and pulling his dying body forward. I walked up to him and he clumsily flipped himself on his back to face me. To my surprise he was ready to fight and held a knife pointed at my chest. I walked to within five feet of him and crouched on my knees. He sat there and glared at me waiting for me to attack. I had trouble seeing his eyes in the moonlight but I had seen eyes like that before, I knew what they would hold. I took my helmet off, spit on the ground then said

"If it makes things easier I could just shoot you here, you won't get far and the coyotes are always hungry" As he answered I could hear the vitriol in his voice

"You think I would ever let my station be degraded by falling on the sword of a profligate like you?" He sneered at me then spit on my boot. I stood up and let my eyes linger on his crippled form on the ground before speaking

"Well, I'll save you the pleasure of dying tired" I lifted my pistol and shot him before walking away. Vasquez and Thompson stood up from inspecting the rest of the dead and fell into step beside me. Thompson looked at my face, spattered with small bits of the legionnaires life blood

"What are we going to do with the bodies sir?" I looked back over the dark field momentarily, the legion bodies breaking the otherwise rigid outline of the desert floor. Then I responded

"Like I said, the coyotes have to eat too." We made quick tracks back to Mojave outpost. After all the legion hadn't gotten too far. The only sound of our passing was our footfalls, it echoed between the cars and dead trailers that lead up to the Mojave outpost. The soldiers whistled for us upon our return but I could muster no salute in return. It had already been a long day and the night was shaping up to be the same. I briefly told Thompson and Vasquez to get some sleep and I trudged back to the courtyard and fell behind my boulder. I didn't even shrug out of my equipment I only had the energy to shut my eyes and sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

-3 days later-

The sun was too damn hot to be gallivanting off in the wastes. But here I and the rest of STG Leray was, playing hide and seek out in the desert. Stone had begun readying for her major offensive, building up power along up the long 15 sending with all the power she could summon from the NCR. The whole plan was based on the idea that the Mojave was too big for anyone to hold, what had gotten us beaten in the first place. During the command meetings I had voiced my opinions, trying to caution against throwing lives at the legion to prove a point, but they were always drowned out by the chorus calling for legion blood. So Leray was out under the desert sun scouting Primm, it was all still the same, the fires sent up smoke plumes and once every so often the wind would carry the wails of the figures hung up on the crucifixes. I thought of the slave cages Chambers had mentioned, I would go there now if it wouldn't mean my discharge upon my return. I grit my teeth and whispered into the radio

"Leray, you see anything out there" I paused for momentarily waiting for a response, I heard Thompson's voice echo back across the radio saying

"That would be a no Dawes, there's little to no movement other than what we saw the last two days" Aurelius's death had gotten a response out of the legion but they hadn't gone any further than losing the group of explorers they sent to Mojave. They were content with what they had won. It didn't match with what I knew of the legion, with what I knew about Lanius, I thought the bastards would march to the sea but I guess I was wrong, or they had another reason for hanging back. Thompson's voice sounded again cutting my suspicions short "When do you think we're gonna make the big push"

I thought a moment before responding I knew what was happening, after all I was an officer but there's always a line to tow when telling your troops what's going to happen. I clicked my com link to a personal channel then said

"What time is it now, nine hundred" I eyeballed my watch making sure I was right "We're probably moving in twentyfour to forty eight" I almost said more then held my tongue. All I heard in response was a low whistle. I should've cared that sensitive information was now out, but honestly I wanted everyone to be prepared for what was coming. They only way to climb to the top of the mojave was over a mountain of bodies. I switched back to an open com channel and radioed back to all twelve of my rangers

"Alright Leray we've been out here long enough and it's nearing time to report back in everyone fall back to the Nevada patrol station and then onto Mojave. We made our way back detaching from our secluded positions over the course of two hours and grouped up in the foyer of the nevada patrol station. It was blazing midday and the sun had been beating my body into the ground, the shade of the patrol station was a welcome change. I pushed the 'fuck you' door open and was greeted by twelve guns pointed at me, they were lowered as I surveyed the room. twelve Rangers stood before me all clad in black armor. Each had made small variations to their armor catering to their individual needs, bandoliers had been piled on, cuts had been made on the dusters to afford to quick drawing, they were all armed to the teeth carrying an assortment of rifles and handguns, hunting to anti material, .357 mag to 45 auto. All together they cut an imposing figure and I was glad they were on my side. They saluted me as I strode toward the middle of them. Before I addressed them I took of my helmet and took a deep breath of unfiltered air

"Alright Gentlemen and Lady" I grinned looking toward Thompson's armored form before continuing "We're headed back home after that the big push is coming so don't stress yourself too hard, split in groups of two and I'll see you at base." They nodded and began to unscrew canteen caps and down salt tablets in preparation for going out under the crushing sun. In a few minutes they had made ready to leave and I pushed open the door. We broke off by twos Vasquez shadowed me as we jogged back to Mojave outpost.

I stepped back onto NCR soil and I looked around. There were people and moving bodies everywhere. Trucks were beginning to pool near the statutes. They were all empty ready to ferry troops all over the waiting Mojave. I shook my head and walked toward the command building. It had become a small fortress, two more power armored guards waited outside the doors and spot lights we're on top of the buildings roof. I stepped up toward guards and nodded at them. Thankfully since I had been promoted to captain they both recognized me and saluted me before letting me in. The command building had become very orderly since Stone had begun preparing for her counter offensive. Final preparations were being made by aids and commanders, requisitions and squad forms were being rammed through the office with break neck speed. I stepped past the clerks and attendants and made my way to Franks. He glowered down at me through his helmet and put his hands out for my weapons. I held them out for him, and as he reached for them I playfully pulled them back right as he was about to grab them. Out of his helmet a low growl. The big man only spoke two words to meet my joke

"Choose wisely." I grinned at him, gave him my weapons and responded

"I always do." The bodyguard yanked my weapons away from me and stepped aside to let me into the back portion of the command building. Stone's door was open and for once I didn't hear any shouting. The staff meeting before the assault tomorrow must have already taken place. I poked my head into the office not wanting to catch any ire from Stone. She was sitting at the large round table in the middle of the room, asleep of all things. I slowly walked across the room and looked down at the table. There were battle plans strewn across it, lines of supply and attack were drawn across the map of the mojave. I had spent a good deal of time crossing the desert wastes and knew a lot of the country fairly well. Her plans were good. She was going to follow the highways, a solid choice. It still didn't sit right with me, the whole plan that was. I grimaced but the decision was far above my pay grade. My eyes wandered to her blonde hair, it was spread out across the maps, untied from all the work and stress she'd been dealing with. My hand reached out toward the blonde locks, almost of its own accord, I stopped it. I had watched an old world movie once, saved on a holotape. It was called "Lawrence of Arabia" the only thing I recalled from the movie was when the narrator looked out over the desert and had said 'there is nothing in the desert, and no man needs nothing'. I dropped my hand to my side and my eyes fell on the dust making it's home on my boots. I was in the desert for sure now. I walked out of the building got my weapons. I walked through the tent city to the tents that had been delegated the STG Leray. There were four tents arrayed around a central campfire. It was neat and orderly, just how I liked it. Once my footsteps were heard a few of the rangers came out. They were all solid soldiers. I said my hellos and then went into my tent and changed out of my armor. It felt good to have the wind rushing over my skin. I walked from tent to tent and checked on my men. I was glad to have them all and I made sure they were ready for the coming battle. They were all outstanding soldiers and they didn't need me to mother them, however that didn't stop me from doing so. They all had their gear ready and clean for the combat tomorrow. I stepped out of their tents and stood back watching them for a moment. They were all big, powerful and lean. One of the most outstanding additions to the group was ranger Demalion, he was almost as big as Franks and he had a razor sharp mind. I was fortunate to have him on my side. The night passed slowly, as nights before battles always do, I got a game of cards going and attempted to share some jokes. It worked for the most part. In my experience the night before needs to be one of calm and laughter, the morning of however was tense by its own nature. Eventually the sun set, it was blood red and I stepped away from my men to watch it for a moment. I climbed a rock outcropping and let my eyes take in the beauty of the sun, It was a deep red orb that was straddling the desert. I'm not by nature an overly sentimental man, that being said, the desert sun set was exceedingly beautiful, it seemed much more worthy of being fought for than a chunk of concrete blocking a river. I descended from the high rock back onto the desert floor. I walked back to the camp and stood for a moment. Tomorrow we were headed into battle. I felt ready for it but I was suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion so immense that my bed suddenly seemed like the best looking thing I had seen in months. I trudged toward my cot and fell into it. As soon as my eyes closed I fell into a deep sleep.

My dreams were filled with running forms. The bodies had indistinct faces and all seemed to be running from some great fireball the was barreling after them. I was in front of them looking down a scope at their frenzied escape. The view reminded me of that from coyote tail ridge. The fire ball chased the runners down right before it came to me. It was far too close for me to escape. The heat of it licked at my face and started to cook me inside my armor. All I could do was stare at the inferno as it came to eat me. After it rolled over me my vision faded to black and I was gifted with surprisingly deep sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

I woke up early, nerves I suppose. I rolled out of my cot and sat on the edge of my bed for a moment. I wasn't present for the meeting yesterday but stone had briefed me on what she needed from me and the rest of the rangers yesterday. I was to hang back from the front with the rest of the command staff and coordinate my rangers. I was curious as to when I had become part of the 'command staff' and stopped being just another ranger. I suppose it happened when Chambers had been shot. I couldn't hold it against the old ranger, however I hated that I wasn't going to be out there with my men. The rangers were being used as scouts and long shots for the assault on Primm. I thought they were being underutilized personally but it wasn't my call to make. I swung my feet onto the ground and headed out of the small camp to hunt up some food. It was four thirty in the morning and the mess hall was deserted, I ate a cold MRE and gulped down a black coffee. I knew at six we would form up ranks and begin the assault by seven. It was going to be a busy day and the butcher's bill would be heavy. I went back to my tent to retrieve my weapons. I took them to a seldom disturbed spot and spent a good bit of time cleaning and oiling them. I had ended up carrying a scoped hunting rifle, my suppressed .45 Chamber's sequoia and a boot knife. I was as prepared as I could be. I got up and went to get my men, we had a busy day ahead of us.

I stood at the head of a double column of rangers as we marched up the hill to array ourselves in front of the command building. We were the first units there as it was five forty five, I liked to be early. There were trucks lined up ahead of us. It looked to me as if Stone was planning a full out bullrush of Primm. I knew that the legion weren't prepared for an attack of this magnitude but I knew she had to have trucks filled with body bags right around the corner.


End file.
